The ancient Mesoamerican civilizations like the Aztecs, Maya, and others viewed death as a transition to the afterlife rather than an end. They believed the soul's destination after death was determined by the cause of death, not conduct in life. Souls could go to the paradise of Tlaloc or the sun god for water-related or combat deaths, or to Mictlan for natural deaths. Rituals were led by the god and goddess of death, and included offerings to aid the soul's journey. Graves contained items used in life and burials were accompanied by objects like musical instruments, sculptures, and figures representing the deceased to celebrate and remember death.

1. BACKGROUNDS
Death
PartiesElements

2. The ancient inhabitants of Mexico pre-Columbian
Mesoamerica, Aztecs, Maya, Purépecha, Nahua, and
Totonac.

3. Death was conceived as a transition between life on earth and a
new life in the hereafter, in the company of the gods. It was not
the natural order of life, but the phase of an infinite loop. Life,
death and resurrection were enclosures of a cosmic process that
was repeated insatiable.

4. Rituals were between two parties to commemorate the death of
small and large Festivities were presided over by the goddess
"Mictecacíhuatl", known as the 'Lady of the muerte'y wife
"Mictlantecuhtli!, Lord of Mictlan, the land of the dead.
Mictecacíhuatl Mictlantecuhtli

5. They believed that the directions for the souls of the
dead were determined by the type of death they had
had, and not by their conduct in life.
Thus, the directions that the dead are:

6. Tlalocan or paradise of Tlaloc, god of
rain. This site is directed those who died in
circumstances related to the water.

7. Omeyocan paradise of sun, chaired by Huitzilopochtli, the
god of war.To this place came only combat deaths, the
captives were slaughtered and women dying in childbirth.

8. Mictlan, for those who died a natural death.

9. The small party, was started 20 days before the big
festival, the first was dedicated to children.

10. The second to adults, as is now customary for the November 1
is dedicated to dead children and 2 adults.The beginning of
the celebration of the dead adults or big party was timed to
coincide with the Catholic feast of All Souls.

11. The festival that became the Day of the Dead
was celebrated the ninth month of the Aztec
solar calendar, near the beginning of August, and
was held for a month.

12. Pre-Hispanic burials were accompanied by offerings that
contained two types of objects: that in life, had been
used by the dead, and you may need in their transition
to the underworld.
For example:
Clothes and Jewelry

13. It was great variety in the development of funerary
objects, musical instruments made of clay, as ocarina,
flutes, drums and rattles in the shape of skulls, sculptures
representing the mortuary gods, skulls of different
materials (stone, jade, crystal), braziers, censersand urn.

14. Graves were also black with white trim shingles and
reed chandeliers a clay figure representing the
deceased. Today there are toys, candy, miniatures
and all kinds of figures that celebrate and remember
the death, popularly known as the Grim Reaper, ""
La Calaca "," the dientona "," the skinny ", etc.

15. In addition to figures and candy, death appears in
the theater, popular music and so-called "calaveras"
rhymes that make fun of the living and the reasons
why they are going to bring "cool". Skulls target for
politicians and public figures, each family or
classmates or work.