Every year Fundación Casa de México in Spain throws a huge celebration to mark the Day of the Dead. From 2 October to 8 November you can visit the Altar of the Dead inspired by the journey from the world of the dead to the world of the living through the senses. As well as the altar, the foundation is putting on many more activities for you to learn all about this beautiful tradition.
As part of its mission to showcase and raise awareness of Mexican traditions, Fundación Casa de México in Spain is once again setting up its now famous Day of the Dead altar for the eighth year. Fundación Casa de México , in collaboration with Madrid City Council, will display three further altars at CentroCentro, Matadero and in Plaza de Daoíz y Velarde.
The 2026 tribute is dedicated to the Mexican composer Agustín Lara (1897–1970), the unforgettable ‘Flaco de Oro’, who, accompanied by his piano, takes centre stage in this scene. His musical legacy is a universal language that encompasses memory, identity, and the cultural and emotional ties that exist between Mexico and Spain.
The scene is inspired by a cemetery in the mountains of Michoacán on the night of the Day of the Dead, when families gather to symbolically meet the souls of their loved ones. Candlelight, Mexican marigold flowers, copal resin incense, food, music and traditional rituals create an atmosphere that transcends time and binds the living and the dead together.
In Michoacán, particularly among the Purépecha and Mazahua communities, the arrival of the monarch butterfly in the region’s forests every year, between late October and early November, coincides with the Day of the Dead celebrations. For this reason, it is believed that these butterflies represent the souls of the dead or herald their arrival to meet the living. Amidst flowers, music and light, this tribute honours the memory of those who live on in our hearts and in our songs.
One of the principal techniques used in altar-making, embossed tinwork, originated in Mexico in the 16th century and became popular in several states of the present-day Mexican Republic, such as Guerrero, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Puebla and Oaxaca. It was used to produce utilitarian items, including lamps, lanterns and mirrors, but primarily ecclesiastical objects: candlesticks, reliquaries, display cases for saints, crosses and niches.
Another technique is the traditional art of cartonería, or papier-mâché sculptures, which became widely used in Mexico from the New Spain period onwards and was originally an educational tool that was soon adopted by artisans as another means of artistic expression. The main materials used are kraft paper, cardboard and newspapers. A third technique is known as papel picado, one of the most characteristic forms of Mexican folk art. Made from thin sheets of coloured paper with designs cut out using a chisel or scissors, this art form depicts elements of nature, festive symbols and scenes from everyday life. Its origins combine pre-Hispanic influences and techniques introduced during the viceregal period, giving rise to a unique crafting tradition.
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