Stockton honors passed loved ones on Día de los Muertos, where to buy pan de muerto

Angelaydet Rocha, The Stockton Record
·3 min read

While our loved ones who die stay in our hearts forever, it's still important to keep their memory alive generation after generation.

On Nov. 1 and Nov. 2, many will celebrate the lives of the dead on Día de los Muertos.

What is Día de los Muertos?

Marie Williams competed in the Catrina pageant at the Mexican Heritage Center's 4th annual De Los Muertos Street Fiesta in downtown Stockton on Oct. 28, 2023. The event, at the intersection of Market and Sutter streets, celebrates Mexican culture and remembers past ancestors. Altars, or offends were on display as well as the car show. A Catrina pageant accompanied musical acts as well as food and crafts vendors.

Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a two-day celebration.

It's an Aztec holiday that originated in southern Mexico and celebrates the remembrance of family members and friends who have died, USA TODAY reported.

The holiday was celebrated on Saturday at the Mexican Heritage Center & Gallery. The gallery hosted its annual Día de los Muertos Community Street Fiesta in downtown Stockton.

"It is really a time for families to kind of gather and honor their deceased loved ones," said Armando Valerio, a board member of the Mexican Heritage Center & Gallery.

"It's important that the different ethnicities follow some of the traditions that they have, and promote it in a way that the bigger community is exposed to it," he said.

There were over 20 ofrendas displayed inside the gallery, Valerio said. There was also an ofrenda dedicated to the Cleveland Elementary School shooting students who died.

The mass shooting left five students dead under the age of 9 years old and 32 others wounded on Jan. 17, 1989, in a Stockton schoolyard.

"To showcase that they still want to keep in memory of the individuals who passed away there," Valerio said.

What are ofrendas?

Yolanda Laguna puts the finishing touches on her ofrenda in honor of her late husband John at the annual Dia De Los Muertos Community Street Fiesta at the Mexican Heritage Center in downtown Stockton on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022.
Yolanda Laguna puts the finishing touches on her ofrenda in honor of her late husband John at the annual Dia De Los Muertos Community Street Fiesta at the Mexican Heritage Center in downtown Stockton on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022.

An ofrenda (offering) or altar can be customizable.

Ofrendas typically include a photo or photos of loved ones who have died, their favorite food, personal items, candles, religious images, sugar skulls, pan de muerto and marigold flowers.

"The intent of it is, the spirits will come back for a day to have a celebration with you in support of the life that they did have," Valerio said.

Kathy Franco and her dog Kirby compete in the Catrina Pageant at the Dia De Los Muertos Street Fiesta in downtown Stockton on Oct. 26, 2019.
Kathy Franco and her dog Kirby compete in the Catrina Pageant at the Dia De Los Muertos Street Fiesta in downtown Stockton on Oct. 26, 2019.

The day when you celebrate your loved one may depend on their age at the time of their passing.

According to Gobierno de México, Nov. 1 is dedicated to children who passed away and Nov. 2 is dedicated to adults.

“Se cree que en estos días los difuntos regresan a visitar a sus seres queridos,” (It is believed that on these days the deceased return to visit their loved ones,) the website states.

Where to buy Pan de Muerto in San Joaquin County?

Denise Flores of Stockton takes a picture of an offend or altar on display at the Mexican Heritage Center's 4th annual De Los Muertos Street Fiesta in downtown Stockton on Oct. 28, 2023. The event, at the intersection of Market and Sutter streets, celebrates Mexican culture and remembers past ancestors. Altars, or offends were on display as well as the car show. A Catrina pageant accompanied musical acts as well as food and crafts vendors.

Pan de muerto (bread of the dead) is commonly seen on ofrendas.

According to the Mexican Food Journal, "Today, there are between 750 and more than 1,200 different kinds of pan de muerto throughout the country, depending on the source. Each region of Mexico has their own version that incorporates special ingredients and shapes like human figures, angels, sheep, hearts, liras (stringed instruments), and hojaldras—the classic round pan de muerto dusted with white sugar."

While the way that the bread is made may differentiate from one Mexican state to another, the significance remains the same.

"The sweet Mexican bread is put on altars to honor, remember and feed dead family members crossing over on Día de los Muertos," The New York Times reported.

Pan de muerto is found at Mexican bakeries only during the holiday.

If you're looking to buy pan de muerto this holiday, here are five panaderias that sell pan de muerto in Stockton and Lodi.

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Record reporter Angelaydet Rocha covers community news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at arocha@recordnet.com or on Twitter @AngelaydetRocha. To support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.

This article originally appeared on The Record: Día de los Muertos and pan de muerto in Stockton