Mural of sugar skull (calavera) in Oaxaca, Mexico
© Judy Bellah/Alamy
Mural of sugar skull (calavera) in Oaxaca, Mexico
Sugar skulls may be to the Day of the Dead what jack-o’-lanterns are to Halloween, but the similarity ends there. The decorated skulls, or calaveras, are traditionally made of sugar, as the name implies, but clay, wood, and other materials are also used. The elaborate embellishments to the skulls are meant to represent the transformation and rebirth into the next stage of life. More recently, tattoos, street art, and other modern mediums have been used to create calaveras, such as this mural art in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Related Images
Colorful alleyway in the medina of Tétouan, Morocco
Bald cypress and Spanish moss in the Atchafalaya Basin, Louisiana
Castel del Monte, Apulia, Italy
Rainbow abalone shell, New Zealand
Brightly colored powder for sale during Holi
Adler Planetarium near Lake Michigan, Chicago, Illinois
Blue walls of Chefchaouen, Morocco
Museum at Prairiefire, Overland Park, Kansas
Bing Today Images
Pueblo ruins, Hovenweep National Monument, Utah
Nov 01, 2024
Calaca figures to celebrate the Day of the Dead
Nov 01, 2018
Uummannaq, Greenland
Nov 01, 2017
