Lázaro Cárdenas and the transformation of the Day of the Dead: from the Days of the Dead to the Mexican national symbol.

The history of the Day of the Dead cannot be understood without its passage through the 20th century. What for centuries was a religious commemoration -the Days of the Souls inherited from the viceroyalty- was transformed into a national festivity that today identifies Mexico throughout the world. This metamorphosis did not occur spontaneously: it was the result of a cultural and political process that culminated during the government of Lázaro Cárdenas del Río, when the Mexican State promoted the recovery of popular traditions to build a mestizo national identity.

From the novo-Hispanic cult to the popular tradition

During the 18th and 19th centuries, All Souls’ Days continued to be celebrated both in temples and homes. Families placed offerings, went to cemeteries and prayed for the souls in purgatory. In the countryside, indigenous communities preserved the symbolic elements of the Mesoamerican past – flowers, food and copal – while in the cities the festivity took on a more discreet and domestic tone.

However, the wars of the 19th century – Independence, French intervention and the Reformation – weakened public celebrations. The political changes and liberal policies of the century of the Reform Laws reduced the influence of the Church, which caused many religious festivities to move to the family sphere.

The Impact of the Revolution and the Cristero War

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Mexican Revolution and, later, the Cristero War (1926-1929) interrupted religious celebrations once again. In many regions, processions were prohibited and masses restricted. Offerings survived in rural homes and among indigenous communities, where family memory remained the center of the celebration.

After the conflict, the country needed to rebuild not only its economy, but also its cultural identity. It was in this context that Lázaro Cárdenas understood the unifying potential of popular traditions, including the Day of the Dead.

Lázaro Cárdenas and the nationalization of popular traditions

During his government (1934-1940), Cárdenas promoted a people-oriented cultural policy, inspired by the ideals of the Revolution. Through the Secretariat of Public Education (SEP) and the Department of Fine Arts, fairs, exhibitions and contests were organized to recover regional customs considered “authentically Mexican”.

The Day of the Dead was one of the most promoted celebrations. In rural schools, teachers instructed students to prepare ofrendas with local materials: papel picado, flowers, bread, fruit and portraits of family members. In the cities, exhibitions and festivals were organized where altars became artistic expressions.

Cárdenas’ project sought to strengthen the mestizo identity: to unite indigenous roots with the popular values of modern Mexico. In this way, a religious tradition was transformed into a cultural and educational symbol. The altar ceased to be a purely devotional act and became a representation of the country’s history and diversity.

In the words of historian Ricardo Pérez Montfort, the Cardenista State “vindicated the customs of the people as the foundation of the modern nation”, and the Day of the Dead became the perfect example of this synthesis between past and present.

From the classroom to the mural: art and national identity

The 1930s were also the era of Mexican muralism, a movement that, under the support of the government, exalted popular culture. Artists such as Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, Jean Charlot and Dr. Atl incorporated skulls, catrinas, flowers and symbols of death in their work, reinterpreting the traditional elements of the altar within a nationalist narrative.

Rivera, in his mural “Sueño de una tarde dominical en la Alameda Central” (1947), placed La Catrina in the center, taken from José Guadalupe Posada’s engraving, as a figure that synthesized humor, art and identity. Death no longer represented the end, but the permanence of the Mexican people.

From tradition to national identity

Over the decades, cultural institutions continued Carden’s project. In the 1950s and 1960s, the Casa del Lago, the National Museum of Popular Cultures and rural teacher training schools promoted exhibitions and altar contests. In 2003, UNESCO declared the Day of the Dead as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, formally recognizing a tradition that was born in homes and transformed by the action of the State.

Today, the Day of the Dead combines the intimate and the public, the religious and the artistic. Its history shows how a local celebration, forged among prayers, flowers and copal, became a symbol of Mexican unity and identity.

Conclusion

From the devout remembrance of the Days of the Dead to the national pride of the Day of the Dead, the history of this festivity summarizes the cultural evolution of Mexico. What began as a religious rite ended up as a patriotic emblem.
Thanks to the vision of Lázaro Cárdenas and the strength of the communities that kept the tradition alive, the country found in death not a threat, but a way to recognize itself.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Days of Souls and its transformation into the Day of the Dead

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