El día de los muertos has origins in Aztec traditions some 3000 years ago to the rituals honoring the dead in in pre-Colombian Mesoamerica. The aztecs saw life as a cycle and viewed death as an integral part of that cycle. They believe that when someone died, they went to Chicunamuctlán, or the Land of the Dead. Once they arrived there, the soul would be required to go through nine levels of challenges over several years, after which they would reach Mictlán, the final resting place. In Nahua rituals honouring the dead, family members provided food, water, and tools to aid the deceased in their journey. That practice inspired the modern-day Day of the Dead ritual of leaving offerings on their loved ones’ grave or on ofrendas at home.
