Related article: Celebrating Mexico's Day of the Dead in Puerto Vallarta

From October 31st through November 4th, Velas Resorts in Puerto Vallarta and the Riviera Nayarit will be celebrating El Día de Los Muertos (the Day of the Dead), considered to be one of the most representative holidays of Mexican culture, with ofrendas, traditional recipes, tasting menus, special décor and more.

The resorts will each create a bright and colorful Altar de Muerto (altar for the dead) decorated with all the traditional ornaments, from marigolds, ash, salt, food, and water, to ceramic Catrinas and sugar skulls.

In addition to the ofrendas, the resorts will also have staff dressed as Catrinas, and Calaveritas (little skulls) decorations throughout, as well as activities for guests to experience the Mexican culture and history of the holiday.

La Catrina is one of the main symbols of Day of the Dead, symbolizing the willingness and resilience of all Mexican people who laugh at death, instead of fearing it. The elegantly-dressed skeleton serves as a reminder that death equalizes us all, regardless of our societal class.

Another emblem is a sugar skull. Now made from paper mache or hardened clay, sugar skulls got their name from the clay-molded sugar with which they were originally made. Sugar skulls are traditionally very colorful and whimsical to encourage and guide the deceased back to earth.

Velas Vallarta invites guests to decorate La Catrina masks as well as ceramic sugar skulls for the temporary altars placed at the resort. Additionally, La Catrina and clay and ceramic Sugar Skull art from Jalisco, the state in which Velas Vallarta is located, and Michoacán, the preeminent place for handicrafts in the country, will be available for purchase.

The Casa Velas adults-only boutique hotel in Puerto Vallarta will deliver traditional Pan de Muertos November 2nd as an added amenity in the suite and serve pan de muerto with traditional Mexican hot chocolate at its fine dining Emiliano Restaurant.

The Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit resort will host a Catrina Contest where the staff from different departments dress up like a Catrina before making a tour through the guest areas of the hotel. At the end, guests vote for the winner.

In addition to all of this, Velas Vallarta will feature one of the biggest "Altar de Muerto" in Marina Vallarta at 40 sq. ft., and all three Banderas Bay area Velas resorts will sponsor giant Catrinas along the Malecón in downtown Puerto Vallarta. The papier mache Catrinas, traditional in the state of Jalisco, are being made by Tourism and Hospitality Management students at the University of Guadalajara's Centro Universitario de la Costa.

For more information or to make your reservations to take advantage of this unique experience, call 1-888-407-4869, or visit velasresorts.com.