The Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos) is a holiday celebrated in Mexico and around the world. It was first celebrated by the Aztec, Toltec, and other indigenous groups from central Mexico. With a history of more than 3,000 years, many of its traditions have changed over the years.

The holiday today is a mix of pre-Hispanic and Christian religious practices. It is celebrated every year on the 1st and 2nd of November, influenced by All Saints Day and All Souls Day from Catholic tradition. Not to be confused with Halloween, it is a time filled with delicious foods and colorful decorations made and arranged on an ofrenda (altar) in honor of loved ones that have passed away.

One of these famous decorations is papel picado (cut paper). It originally came from San Salvador Huixcolotla, where trade goods from Asia passed through the town hundreds of years ago on the way to Spain. One of those products was a colorful tissue paper made from silk, which artisans turned into papel picado. By the early 1900s, it began to spread in popularity all over Mexico.