Incense
Incense is burned on grave sites and on the ofrenda. It is the Copal resin that isused as incense. Such resins are extracted from trees of the Burseraceae family. Its perfumed smoke surrounds the altar and grave, providing and atmosphere of mystery. The transformation of earth and matter (tree resin) into something ethereal (smoke) is a symbolic transformation of the physical to the supernatural which is associated with the death of the returning soul.
A trail of incense is an aroma which rises up to Heaven; it is carried on the air to Heaven.
