Day of the Dead in Jujuy: All Souls, Bread Offerings and Cemeteries

For the Catholic Church, 1 November is All Saints' Day and 2 November is All Souls' Day. In northern communities people speak of the Día de las Almas or of the almitas, the little souls, and some families call it Tosantos. In 2019 Argentina's national Ministry of Culture added it, at the proposal of the provincial heritage office, to its list of Jujuy's intangible cultural heritage.

The core idea is reciprocity: the living feed their dead so they can continue on their way, and a soul that is not remembered is a sad one. That's why the table has to be generous: the souls are said to arrive with friends and relatives in tow. It is a time of mourning but also of togetherness, because homes open their doors to neighbours and acquaintances who drop by to pray and keep the family company.

Every family has its own rhythm, but the general order is:

• 30 and 31 October: the bread offerings are kneaded and baked, chicha (corn beer) is prepared and the room for the table is cleaned.
• 31 October: some families have a table ready before midday to receive the saints and angelitos, the souls of children.
• 1 November, midday: the adult souls arrive. The stews, mote (boiled corn) and the deceased's favourite dishes are finished, and the vigil begins, often lasting all night with prayers, coca and memories.
• 2 November, morning: a visit to the cemetery, with Mass among the graves and fresh flowers and wreaths.
• 2 November, after midday: the souls leave. Prayers are said, the table is taken down, the offerings are shared among those present and the farewell, the despacho, takes place.

As a reference, in Uquía the 2026 cemetery Mass on 2 November was set for 9 am, with prayer intentions collected from 8 am, and homes took down their tables at midday.

The table is set up the night before or on the morning of the 1st, near a door or window so the souls can find it. It can be long and tiered, with smaller tables stacked on top like an altar. Many families cover it with a black cloth for mourning, running up the wall and onto the ceiling when a new soul is expected; for children's souls the cloth is white. In Tilcara a blue cloth with paper stars and moons is often hung from the ceiling to represent the sky, with fennel along the edges to keep the offerings fresh.

On the table you'll usually find:

• The cross, which presides over everything, sometimes made of white dough with the person's name in black letters.
• A photo of the deceased and two candles to light their way.
• Flowers and wreaths, many made of paper, and holy water to bless the table with a flower.
• The food they loved: spicy stews, empanadas, tamales, and even pizza or schnitzel.
• Drinks: corn or peanut chicha, wine, beer, soft drinks and water. The chicha is often split between a large bowl under the table and a small one on top.
• Coca leaves, cigarettes and, for children, sweets and sweet breads.

One rule is never broken: nothing is touched before its time, because the souls eat first and the living afterwards. Chicha and many of these flavours feature in our guide to Jujuy's traditional food.

Bread is the heart of the table. In Jujuy the pieces are called ofrendas or turcos, and every shape has a meaning:

• Ladder: so the soul can climb down from heaven to eat and climb back up.
• Dove: helps the soul fly home.
• Cross: protects the deceased and presides over the table.
• Tantawawa (t'anta wawa, Quechua for bread baby) or guagua: a human figure representing the person, sometimes with a painted face.
• Little angels: help the souls come down.
• Animals such as llamas, dogs or horses: keep the soul company or carry its offerings.
• Wreaths, towers and shapes of whatever the person loved in life.

Eyes, mouths and hair are marked with black dough, traditionally coloured with soot from cooking pots. The dough is made with flour, fat and yeast, and the sweet version adds sugar and egg. When a new soul is expected, neighbours and relatives can bake up to 100 kilos of bread between them, and flour runs short in local shops.

In San Salvador de Jujuy there are fairs and stalls selling everything you need for the table, such as those around the old bus terminal. In 2023 a large public table with about 1,200 offerings was also set up in Plaza Belgrano so children and visitors could learn about the tradition.

The ritual is most intense for almas nuevas, new souls: people who died within the past year. Their families set the biggest tables, sometimes mark the house with a black ribbon on the door, and receive groups of rezadores, prayer leaders who go from home to home until the early hours. Visitors bless the table with a flower dipped in holy water, say a prayer, burn a few coca leaves and keep the family company for a while.

Tradition says the first year is sad, the second more cheerful, and in the third the soul is sent off with joy: in the Quebrada the big table is repeated for three years, until the final farewell.

The despacho closes the ceremony. In Tilcara, relatives choose friends who aren't close family to bury some of the offerings and accompany the soul on its way back. In other homes the despacho happens at the back of the property, burning or burying clothes and belongings of the deceased. And there's room for humour: the bread babies become the stars of a mock wedding or baptism, with a pretend priest and made-up food names.

On 2 November cemeteries all along the Quebrada de Humahuaca, from Volcán to Humahuaca, fill up from early morning. Families wash the graves, put out fresh flowers and colourful wreaths, leave coca, cigarettes or a drink, and local priests say Mass in the morning. Many bring food to share beside the grave, and some bring guitars, drums and charangos. Cemetery gatherings usually wind down around 1 pm, when everyone goes home to take down the table.

• Maimará: the Nuestra Señora del Carmen cemetery sits on top of a hillock east of Route 9, at the northern entrance to the village. Its colourful vaults against the striped Paleta del Pintor hills make one of the Quebrada's classic views. More in our guide to Maimará and the Painter's Palette.
• Tilcara: the cemetery is in the upper part of town; at dawn the intentions, the list of the dead being prayed for, are read over a loudspeaker.
• Uquía: the village marks the date with deep faith, with a procession of saints the evening before and Mass in the cemetery on the 2nd. Pair it with the church and its angels in our Uquía guide.
• Humahuaca: its cemetery is one of the oldest in the region. Make a day of it with our guide to things to do in Humahuaca.

In the Puna the ceremony follows the same outline, with some customs of its own. One of the most striking is that in some communities the crosses are taken from the graves and placed on the souls' table, then returned to the cemetery when the celebration ends. Because fresh flowers are hard to come by at that altitude, wreaths are made of coloured paper or plastic, and chicha and coca play a central role, as in the August rituals described in our guide to the Pachamama festival in Jujuy.

Villages are small and everyone knows each other, so an outsider stands out. If you're passing through Abra Pampa, La Quiaca or Yavi on these days, watch from a distance and, if someone invites you in, accept with humility.

This is a private ceremony: even the organisers of offering-making workshops in the Quebrada stress that they don't want that to change. A few guidelines:

• Don't enter a home uninvited. If you are invited, bless the table with the flower, say a prayer or simply stand quietly, and accept whatever you're offered.
• Don't touch or photograph the table without permission, especially before the souls have eaten.
• At the cemetery, keep quiet during Mass, don't step on graves and don't take close-up photos of people grieving.
• Dress modestly and bring a warm layer: Quebrada mornings are cool even when the midday sun is strong.
• If you want to learn more, look for the offering workshops and fairs some towns run in the second half of October.

Tilcara is a good base for Maimará, Uquía and Humahuaca: see our guide on where to stay in Tilcara. And for other dates, check our Jujuy festivals calendar.