How to Make Sugar Skulls for Day of the Dead

Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is celebrated throughout Latin America on November 1st and 2nd as a remembrance of the dearly departed. Also known as Dia de Todos Santos (All Saints Day) or Dia de los Fieles Difuntos (Day of the Faithfully Departed), families gather to remember their loved ones that have passed on, many times keeping vigil at the graves overnight, waiting for the souls to return. Cemeteries are cleaned, gravesites are tended, with family portraits, candles and flowers used as decorations. Blankets, hot drinks and food are brought in as provisions for the living visitors. Based on the Catholic tradition of All Saints Day, Dia de los Muertos has become an over-the-top family gathering that draws spectators to small villages throughout Michoacan, Puebla and Oaxaca.

Day of the Dead is not a celebration of dying, but is a day to remember a life well spent. A humorous theme is often mixed with the sweet sadness of memory, acknowledging the good times past, and the love that was shared.

Many suppose the colorful traditions associated with of Day of the Dead developed from the mixture of tribal worship with Christianity. With the arrival of Christianity in the Americas, missionaries found it difficult to convert the tribes’ traditional notion of ancestor worship and death honoring the gods, to life honoring God.  Dia de los Muertos evolved as a melding of the Christian belief in eternal life, and the tribal need to honor the dead. [pagebreak]

The early Mexican tribes would build a tzompantli, an altar-like display of racks of human skulls to honor their gods. Altars are still a main component in Day of the Dead decoration, usually adorned with flowers, pictures of the deceased, and their favorite foods to tempt the soul to return. Sugar skulls are often purchased by the family, sometimes as a gift or sometimes in honor of the departed soul, and are many times used to decorate the altars (more convenient and less messy than human skulls, I’m sure!)

Making sugar skulls is a great crafty project, easy and inexpensive. Skull molds are available at craft stores, or online. For a first time project, look for a single sided skull mold that does not require assembly of two skull halves to make a whole skull. Also, avoid making your sugar skulls on rainy or humid days, as most candies and sugar work do not set properly in high humidity. [pagebreak]

Sugar Skulls

• 4 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon meringue powder
• 3-4 teaspoon water

Royal Icing:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon meringue powder
• 1/4 – 1/3 cup warm water
• Gel colors

Click here for the full recipe.