---
title: Decorated Sugar Skull for Day of the Dead
author: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/21122/decorated-sugar-skull-for-day-of-the-dead/
format: machine-readable-alternate
license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)
updated: 2026-03-24
---

# Decorated Sugar Skull for Day of the Dead

_Authored by Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History_

## Image File

[![Decorated Sugar Skull for Day of the Dead](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/21122.jpg)](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/21122.jpg)

## Image Caption

Sugar skull, moulded of white sugar candy and adorned with icing and foil, c. 1979.

The decorative candy skull (*calavera de azuca*r) is a common sight at [Day of the Dead](https://www.worldhistory.org/article/2807/day-of-the-dead/) (*Día de los Muertos*) festivities, a widely observed holiday in Mexico in which celebrants commemorate the departed. This particular skull pictured here is adorned with a length of blue foil upon the forehead, where the name of the deceased to be honoured, or the name of the person to whom it will be given, may be written.

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C.

## Cite This Work

### APA
History, S. N. M. o. N. (2025, September 29). Decorated Sugar Skull for Day of the Dead. *World History Encyclopedia*. <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/21122/decorated-sugar-skull-for-day-of-the-dead/>
### Chicago
History, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural. "Decorated Sugar Skull for Day of the Dead." *World History Encyclopedia*, September 29, 2025. <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/21122/decorated-sugar-skull-for-day-of-the-dead/>.
### MLA
History, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural. "Decorated Sugar Skull for Day of the Dead." *World History Encyclopedia*, 29 Sep 2025, <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/21122/decorated-sugar-skull-for-day-of-the-dead/>.

## License & Copyright

[Original image](https://www.si.edu/object/modeled-sugar-candy-skull-calavera-de-azucar:nmnhanthropology_8453990) by **Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History**. Submitted by [Zachary Kay](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/zacharykay/ "User Page: Zachary Kay"), published on 29 September 2025. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en). This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.