Like many other native people they believed that their bodies should be buried with many of the possessions that they had while living. That way, the Spaniards believed, the annual recognition of death wasn't so profane. When the Spanish arrived, many of the existing ideas and customs were gradually blended into the calendar of the Catholic church. Adults who have died are honored on November 2nd, which is All Souls' Day. The souls of the departed are believed to return to earth on this day.
Families come together to honor their ancestors, and build alters in their homes.
Flowers, fruit, candy, earthen pots of food, toys and gifts decorate these altars, along with candles and incense. Community and families visit cemeteries to commune with their dead relatives, and in respect of the dead on the preceding evenings and the day itself. Most of the activity on November 1st and 2nd is at the local cemeteries. This has been seen in the form of traffic jams at some of the larger cemeteries throughout Mexico and other Central American countries. Many parked cars line the streets around the cemetery and the hundreds of people attract food, flower and trinket vendors whose carts and stands crowd the open spaces.