muertos
Those no longer living
Muertos is Spanish for "the dead." In English, it appears almost exclusively in Día de los Muertos, the Mexican Day of the Dead celebration honoring deceased loved ones.
The word carries festive rather than morbid associations—sugar skulls, marigolds, and family altars: The muertos decorations went up in late October.
Boundless temporal existence
- reincarnationSoul's rebirth after death
- heavenSky or bliss
- purgatoryPlace of temporary suffering
- soulInnermost animating essence
transcendence · paradise · limbo · resurrection · spirit world · journey · crossing over · underworld
Thing preserving remembrance
- tributeOffering of respect
- eulogyTribute for the dead
- commemorationAct of honoring memory
- homageExpression of deep respect
legacy · reminiscence · nostalgia · mourning · reflection · epitaph · photographs · keepsakes
Sacred ritual table
- La CatrinaIconic Mexican skeleton figure
- copalFragrant tropical tree resin
- All Souls' DayDay to pray for souls in purgatory
- sugar skullsConfection honoring the deceased
face painting · marigolds · candles · skeletons · indigenous · folklore · monarch butterflies · cemetery visits
Inherited cultural legacy
- lineageDescent from progenitors
- forebearsAncestral family members
- bloodlineAncestry through generations
- genealogyStudy of family descent
family tree · elders · roots · abuelos · generations · descendants · familial
eternity
Boundless temporal existence
- reincarnationSoul's rebirth after death
- heavenSky or bliss
- purgatoryPlace of temporary suffering
soul · transcendence · paradise · limbo · resurrection · spirit world · journey · crossing over · underworld
memorial
Thing preserving remembrance
- tributeOffering of respect
- eulogyTribute for the dead
- commemorationAct of honoring memory
homage · legacy · reminiscence · nostalgia · mourning · reflection · epitaph · photographs · keepsakes · vigil
altar
Sacred ritual table
- La CatrinaIconic Mexican skeleton figure
- copalFragrant tropical tree resin
- All Souls' DayDay to pray for souls in purgatory
sugar skulls · face painting · marigolds · candles · skeletons · indigenous · folklore · monarch butterflies · cemetery visits
cadaver
Body for dissection
passed · perished · lifeless · funeral · interment · burial · remains · death
heritage
Inherited cultural legacy
- lineageDescent from progenitors
- forebearsAncestral family members
- bloodlineAncestry through generations
genealogy · family tree · elders · roots · abuelos · generations · descendants · familial
- Día de los MuertosMexican festival for ancestors
- Dia de los MuertosMexican ancestor veneration festival
- Día de MuertosMexican holiday honoring the dead
- Santa MuerteMexican folk death figure