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Small Producers In Xochimilco Prepare For The Day Of The Dead In Mexico

A chef mixes totomoxtle (corn husk ash) and sugar in Mexico City, Mexico, on the eve of Day of the Dead, to make Pan de Muerto. According to historical documents and accounts, in ancient Mexico, before the indigenous resistance to the arrival of Europeans, a kind of bread similar to a tortilla is prepared, made from amaranth, dried and toasted corn, and maguey honey. It is called papalotlaxcalli, which means Butterfly Bread, and has a butterfly stamped on the dough. According to the Duran Codex or History of the Indies of New Spain and the Tierra Firme Islands, it is an offering food for the goddess Cihuapipiltin, who watches over women who die in childbirth; although it later appears in the stories of the Codex as part of a food offering that is placed on the tzompantli, an altar of skulls in honor of the people sacrificed in rituals for the gods. (Photo by Gerardo Vieyra/NurPhoto)

Photo ID	#11668154
Date Taken	15 October 2024
Location	N/A
Photographer	Gerardo Vieyra/NurPhoto
Category	Human Interest
Copyright	© 2026 NurPhoto - Gerardo Vieyra/NurPhoto

Small producers in Xochimilco prepare for the Day of the Dead in Small Producers Xochimilco Day of the Dead in Mexico Día de Muertos Difuntos Flor de Cempasuchil Flowers Flor Naranja Amarillo Pulque Traditions Pulque Chocolate Calaveritas Campo Cultura Pan de Muerto Especias Pan Bread Totomoxtle Crema Dulce Sweet Velas Ofrenda Cultura Tradiciones Mujeres Hombres Productores CDMX HUM Human interest Ciudad de México Mexican Mexico City Mexico