This series of drawings done by Diego Rivera of the Day of the Dead depicts one of the most ancient traditions of the Mexican people, a mixture of pre-Hispanic ideas and Christian faith. These fiestas or ceremonies are of fundamental significance in many different parts of Mexico, speaking as they do of the importance to venerate the dead.
When Frida Kahlo died in 1954, Rivera and several of his friends visited the island of Janitzio in Michoacán to observe how the Day of the Dead was celebrated there. Hence, it was not by chance that the artist made several drawings of the subject in the same year.