Día de los Muertos is more than orange flowers and decorated skulls

Día de los Muertos or Day of the Dead is much more than orange flowers and decorated skulls. The holiday dates back to the Aztec empire and honors the dead. 

Over 2,000 years ago, the Aztecs believed the spirits of their ancestors passed on to the underworld. When a loved one died, the Aztecs placed skulls on Aztec temples to honor the person and skulls still remain part of a tradition passed down over centuries.

Some are quick to equate the holiday to Halloween due to the painted skulls and decorations, however the Day of the Dead has distinct customs and beliefs. The holiday has roots in Aztec and Catholic beliefs and is usually celebrated on Nov. 1 and Nov. 2. 

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, each year Amar de la Cruz traveled to celebrate the holiday with her family in Mexico City. De la Cruz said the Aztecs and her indigenous family see death as something to be celebrated and often unleash monarch butterflies right after someone dies. She said the Aztecs believed the souls of the deceased returned as monarch butterflies or humming birds.

"It's not Halloween and it's also not a holiday where we just paint skulls. We are honoring Catholic and Aztec traditions and we are celebrating great souls that died and moved on," De la Cruz told USA TODAY Network.

The Salinas Valley and Monterey County have among the highest concentration of Catholics in the state. The 2020 Census showed more than 43% of people in Monterey County identified as Catholic. That's nearly more than Fresno and Kern counties combined. Only Tulare, Colusa and Imperial counties come close to as many people who identify as Catholic.