![el dia de los muertos el dia de los muertos](https://www.dias-festivos-mexico.com.mx/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/dia-muertos.jpg)
Not long after the Spanish exposure to this festival, the Spanish combined the Aztec tradition with Catholicism. 4 The Aztecs laid out offerings for the King and Queen of the Underworld for the whole month of August, and the Spanish were the first outsiders to witness this honoring of Mictecacihuatl by the Aztecs. Many traditions changed, including those of Día de Los Muertos. The Spanish changed the lives of the indigenous peoples wherever they went, from taking land for the Spanish throne to converting people to Catholicism. The Aztecs celebrated Día de Los Muertos much differently than it is celebrated today due to the Spanish conquistadors and Catholicism. 3 Statues of Queen Mictēcacihuātl (Right) and her Husband Mictlantecuhtli (Left) King of the Underworld | Courtesy of Spanish Girl Blog When the time came for her to return to the living world, the Aztecs celebrated Mictecacihuatl’s return with death festivals and traditional dances, to honor her for her protection of the bones that created life and to seek protection for those who died. Even after the bones were stolen, she would continue her duty to protect them by returning to the living world every year to make sure the bones were being properly taken care of. As their protector, part of her own life would be carried with the stolen bones. However, in order for the bones to be able to create new life, they needed to be stolen from Mictecacihuatl to be brought to the living world. In the underworld, her role was to watch over the bones of past lives, which would be used to create new life in the living world. 2 According to Aztec legend, Mictecacihuatl was sacrificed as an infant and placed in the underworld to become the wife of Miclantecuhtl, the king of the underworld. This Aztec queen was Mictecacihuatl, “Lady of the Dead,” Queen of Mictlan. 1 Queen Mictēcacihuātl of the Underworld | Courtesy of Wikipedia When the Aztecs had begun this tradition, they weren’t remembering loved ones who passed, but they were worshiping the queen of the underworld and protector of the dead.
![el dia de los muertos el dia de los muertos](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hhaTg03kiU0/TM3agZjOKFI/AAAAAAAALzA/_QEO0AbcnFU/s1600/dia%2Bde%2Blos%2Bmuertos.jpg)
The Spanish Conquistadors first recorded a Día de Los Muertos celebration during the 16th century.
![el dia de los muertos el dia de los muertos](https://blogs.ancestry.com/cm/files/2017/10/ddlm-1-2.jpg)
What many people don’t know is that this holiday originated over 3000 years ago with the Aztec empire. Many people know of the Mexican holiday Día de Los Muertos, which is filled with vibrant colors and intricately painted faces. SC 3300 – Special Topics: Public Health.HS 1302 – United States History since 1877.HS 1301 – United States History to 1877.3 Post-Classical History (600 CE-1492 CE).6 Contemporary Latin America (2000-2030).1 Pre-Columbian Latin America (to 1492).4 Late Middle Ages-Renaissance-Reformation Europe (1300-1648).6 Great Depression and WWII (1929-1945).5 Emergence of Modern America (1877-1929).4 Civil War and Reconstruction (1850-1877).2 Revolution and Early Republic (1754-1801).1 Colonization and Settlement (1500-1763).