ORLANDO, Fla. — Day of the Dead, formally known as Día de los Muertos in Spanish, is a Mexican holiday dating back thousands of years to celebrate deceased relatives over food, art, and festive celebrations.

And in efforts to spread its cultural impact, Las Mexicanas VIP, a group of Mexican artists in Central Florida, have worked together to create a large altar in downtown Orlando to honor Mexican figures.

“The Day of the Dead is a celebration in where we celebrate our loved ones who are no longer here,” said Cristina Hinostroza, founder of Las Mexicanas VIP, a group of Mexican women dedicated to promoting Mexican culture in Central Florida. “It’s not a diabolic celebration, and that’s very important to know and understand that it’s not about monsters.”

The Day of the Dead is traditionally observed in Mexico and stems from Aztec times when Spanish colonizers combined their Catholic rituals with natives of Anahuac, the Nahuatl name of Mexico, before pre-colonial times.

In hopes of honoring passed loves ones, people of Mexican descent gather "ofrendas" — or offerings —to place on altars that are often filled with items that showcase the identity of the person who passed away.

“We have different types of food, seeds, and bread of the dead that we put into our altars," Hinostroza explained. "The bread is a very important component of the altar because its shape represents the circle of life."

Altars for Día de los Muertos are diverse and can either include three levels which represent Earth, Heaven, and Purgatory, or can be made with seven levels to represent the steps souls must take to rest in peace, Las Mexicans VIP explained to Spectrum News. 

“The Aztecs celebrated death with believing that there were nine steps to climb through in order to reach Mictlan, who’s the God of death,” explained Carla Garcia, a member of Las Mexicans VIP who contributed to the altar showcased at City Art in downtown Orlando. “We incorporate things into the altar that represent our culture, our beliefs, and reflect the life of those who were taken too soon, into our altars.”

In certain regions, the holiday begins on Oct. 31, Halloween, and spans out to Nov. 2. Nov. 1 traditionally honors deceased children and Nov 2. focuses on remembering passed adults.

In the Aztec calendar, the ritual was celebrated around August for an entire month, historians write. It wasn’t until the post-conquest era that the holiday was moved by Spanish priests to coincide with the Christian holiday Dia de Todos Santos, Spanish for Hallows Eve.

The holiday has gained immense popularity throughout cities in the United States, including Los Angeles, New York City and Chicago, where Mexican populations are large. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, accounting for roughly 24% of the United States’ foreign-born population, Mexican immigrants remain the largest group of immigrants in the country.

And as the Mexican population continues to grow throughout the country, advocates like Hinostroza are proud that Latino rituals like the Day of the Dead are infiltrating cities where Latino culture wasn’t always accepted.

“I feel very proud that our Mexican culture is diffusing and saturating throughout the U.S. To bring that here is a big honor,” she said.