Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a vibrant and deeply meaningful Mexican celebration known for its elaborate altars adorned with colorful papel picado, sweet pan de muerto, whimsical sugar skulls, bright yellow marigold flowers, and flickering candles. This tradition, transcending borders and time, serves as a beautiful way for the Latino community and beyond to remember and honor cherished loved ones who have passed away. Over time, Día de los Muertos has evolved, embracing new ways to pay tribute, including a heartwarming practice of remembering our beloved pets.
Among these beautiful adaptations is the growing tradition of honoring pets on Día de los Muertos, particularly on October 27th. This special day sees families lovingly placing photographs of their deceased animal companions on ofrendas, alongside water, kibble, favorite treats, and even cherished toys. This poignant custom beautifully illustrates the integral role pets play in our families and our lives.
Michele Soto, the operations manager at The Arizona Pet Project, embodies this heartfelt sentiment. Together with her mother, she decided to extend the spirit of Día de los Muertos by creating a community altar dedicated to pets. The Arizona Pet Project, an organization committed to helping pet owners across Arizona keep their animals and prevent pet homelessness, understands the profound bond people share with their pets.
“It’s really about pets being part of your family,” Soto explains. “You love them when you meet them, you love them when they’re in your life — just like your family — and you love them when they’re gone.”
For the past two years, Soto has warmly invited the Phoenix community to participate in this touching tribute by bringing photographs of their departed furry friends to be placed on the Día de los Muertos ofrenda at The Arizona Pet Project’s south Phoenix office. Soto’s mother lovingly handcrafts the decorations, which are then brought to the center where Soto and dedicated volunteers help assemble the community offering.
“I really believe that the altar, the Day (of the Dead) and the time to celebrate it, makes the feeling of joy much stronger than that of sadness,” Soto shares, highlighting the comforting nature of the tradition. “You’re sad and you have your moments, but you’re so much more grateful that you had them.”
Remembering Beloved Furry Family Members
The personal experience of loss deeply informs Soto’s dedication to this pet-focused Día de los Muertos celebration. Having lost her 14-year-old cat, Henry, in March, Soto found solace in creating a small altar for him in his favorite spot at home. Including Henry’s photograph and cherished toys on the altar has been instrumental in navigating her grief.
Soto emphasizes the therapeutic aspect of this celebration, noting how it aids in processing grief and loss. The vibrant colors and joyful atmosphere associated with Día de los Muertos altars help to reframe perceptions of death, recognizing it as a natural part of life rather than something to be feared. Building altars annually for deceased loved ones is a deeply ingrained generational and cultural practice for Soto. Extending this tradition to include pets was a natural progression, reflecting her belief that pets are unequivocally family.
Last year marked a particularly poignant moment when a photograph of Soto’s mother’s cat, Esperanza (Espi), was placed on the office altar for the first time. Espi, who had recently passed away from an illness, had become a beloved companion to Soto’s 97-year-old grandmother in her later years. Soto recounted the heartwarming experience of witnessing her grandmother, who had never had pets indoors as a child, develop such a close bond with Espi, sharing moments of conversation and even watching television together.
Soto also reflects on how pet ownership experiences vary across generations and cultures. “Nothing makes my heart happier than seeing someone walk their dog. I find it very cute,” Soto says, appreciating the modern custom of dog walking. “But growing up, we didn’t walk our dogs on leashes, they would just run around and then come home.” This observation highlights the evolving role of pets in different cultural contexts.
Día de los Muertos: A Generational Celebration Embraced in the US
Sharing her childhood Día de los Muertos memories, Soto recalls creating altars at home with “long white candles” and cherishing time spent in the cemetery with family. She describes these cemetery visits as akin to “picnics,” where families would clean graves, share food, listen to music, and reminisce about loved ones. Historically, these practices were central to Día de los Muertos celebrations on November 1st (All Saints’ Day) and November 2nd (All Souls’ Day) within the Catholic calendar.
While Día de los Muertos traditions were initially observed privately in the United States, the Chicano Movement played a pivotal role in bringing these celebrations into the public sphere, according to Regina Marchi, a professor in the Department of Latino and Caribbean Studies at Rutgers University. Inspired by Indigenous and pre-Hispanic rituals dating back over 3,000 years, Chicano activists and artists organized the first public Día de los Muertos exhibitions in 1972 at Self Help Graphics & Art in Los Angeles and La Raza Gallery in San Francisco.
“Part of the Chicano movement was highlighting Mexican traditions and celebrating them with pride in a way that had not been done before,” Marchi explains. “There was a big movement to embrace multiculturalism and be proud of your roots instead of trying to assimilate and hide your family history.” Beyond parades, Chicanos also politicized altars, dedicating them to victims of social injustices, expanding the altar’s purpose and representation.
As the concept of altars broadened, the inclusion of pets became a natural progression, Marchi notes, who also authored “Day of the Dead in the United States: The Migration and Transformation of a Cultural Phenomenon.” The increasing popularity of Día de los Muertos outside of Mexico, particularly following the release of the animated film “Coco” in 2017, has further influenced altar traditions.
One notable change is the incorporation of Xoloitzcuintle figures, the hairless dog breed native to Mexico featured as a spirit guide in “Coco.” This inclusion stemmed from consultations with Chicano and Latino artists who recognized the Xoloitzcuintle’s deep connection to Aztec culture and Día de los Muertos traditions. Archaeological evidence reveals Xoloitzcuintle remains found alongside human remains in Aztec ruins, suggesting these dogs were believed to accompany their owners into the afterlife.
Marchi explains the complex history of the Xoloitzcuintle, noting that the breed nearly faced extinction due to colonization and the arrival of the Spanish. Efforts in the 1950s were crucial in reviving the breed. “It is true that this dog (the Xoloitzcuintle) has a history that goes back thousands of years in the Aztec culture,” Marchi states. “However, people sometimes like to think of things as a straight line, where this has been an unbroken line of our culture, but in fact when you do that, you are erasing difficulties, such as the impact of colonization on the cultures, the destruction, and the near extinction of certain practices and the struggles to revive them in trying to bring them back and make them stronger.”
Celebrating Día de los Muertos with pets is a beautiful way to honor the unconditional love and joy they bring to our lives. By creating pet ofrendas and sharing memories, we keep their spirits alive and acknowledge their irreplaceable place within our families, embracing the heartwarming evolution of this cherished tradition.
