Calaca

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For the municipality in the Philippines, see Calaca, Batangas

A calaca (a colloquial Spanish name for skeleton) is a figure of a skull or skeleton (usually human) used for decoration during the Mexican Day of the Dead festival. Tracing their origins from Aztec imagery, calacas are frequently shown with marigold leaves and foliage. As with other aspects of the Day of the Dead festival, calacas are generally depicted as joyous rather than mournful figures. They are often shown wearing festive clothing, dancing, and playing musical instruments to indicate a happy afterlife. This draws on the Mexican belief that no dead soul likes to be thought of sadly, and the death should be a joyous occasion. This goes back to some beliefs of the Aztec, one of the few traditions the Spaniards did not stamp out.

Calacas used in the festival include carved skull masks worn by revellers, small figures made carved wood or fired clay, and sweet treats in the form of skulls or skeletons.

Most of the characters in the computer game Grim Fandango (which takes place on the Day of the Dead) are calaca-like and stylized in appearance.Calaveras are handmade paper skull dolls.