Day Of The Dead, or Dia De Los Muertos, has held such an important role in Mexican culture that it has gone beyond borders and is recognized as a “Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity” by UNESCO.

Celebrated on November 1st and 2nd of each year, Day Of The Dead has ancestral Indigenous roots as the days of union between the world of the living and the world of the dead. It’s a time when we have the opportunity to honor and connect with the essence of those who are no longer here with us. 

Offerings are made on beautiful flower-filled altars with food and drink that the deceased loved so that they know where to visit during this thin-veiled time.

Though it is hard to track the very ancient ways Dia De Los Muertos was celebrated, one practice and element that has remained strong is cacao.

Cacao is one of the most sacred foods in the Mesoamerican traditions. It is a medicine that brings sustenance to the people and represents the cycles of life, death, and rebirth. The wisdom keepers of these traditions share that cacao is used not only in rituals of new life but also in bringing support to families when there is a death of a loved one.

It is no surprise that you will always find cacao on the altar during Dia De Los Muertos.

How To Work With Cacao During This Time

In the practice of acknowledging life, death, and rebirth, cacao helps us to connect and bring harmony with the energies of these different forces.

•  If the passing of a loved one is recent, cacao may be called upon for support in your grieving.
• If you’re looking to do ancestral lineage work, cacao can help you become sensitive to what is ready to be healed, released, and transformed
• If you’re in a space of celebration, you can prepare a cup of cacao for your ancestors as an offering to them.

Our Recommended Ancestral Cacao