What Do Sugar Skulls Mean on El Día de los Muertos? - JSTOR Daily Politics & History What Do Sugar Skulls Mean on El Día de los Muertos? The iconography of Mexico's Día de los Muertos has become wildly popular outside Latino communities. But where did the skulls and skeletons come from? Wikimedia Commons By: Madeleine Compagnon September 24, 2020 The elegant skull has become a festive symbol of the Dia de los Muertos - but its original inception was a statement of more than just the inevitability of death. A La Catrina Calavera is a ubiquitous image during Day of the Dead - in costumes, food, paintings and dolls, like this one. What is Day of the Dead? Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a celebration of life and death that originated in Mexico. It is now celebrated all over Latin America with colorful Bolivian gravediggers unearth human skulls from the communal plots in La Paz's sprawling General Cemetery to prepare for tomorrow's party. Shovels cut through the sour soil until the Miniature skulls are seen decorated on an altar during the 14th annual Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, festival at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, November 2, 2013. 9GkJg.