Symbols

Skeletons

Marigolds

These flowers are spread out and used to create a path for our deceased loved ones to follow back to use during Dia de la Muertos. Because of their bright, and vibrant colors, marigolds are a symbol of both the beauty of life and how fragile it is due to its delicate nature because we never know when we may pass away from the Land of the Living to the Dead.  

https://www.afar.com/magazine/where-to-celebrate-day-of-the-dead-in-mexico 

Guitar

The guitar represents Miguel's love and passion for music, despite his family's ban on music due to the belief that his great-great-grandfather Hector left the family to make his dreams come true. There is also the symbolic tie of the guitar belonging to his hero Ernesto de la Cruz, whom Miguel initially believes is his family. When he goes to retrieve the guitar and play a chord, he begins his journey into the Land of the Dead. Ultimately the guitar symbolizes the reconciliation of music to create healing in the family and reinvite the spirit of Hector back into their Ofrenda so that he will never be forgotten, and will get to spend time with his daughter Coco once she passes away.

Shoes

When Hector leaves the family and does not return, Mama Imelda creates a new path for the family's survival, becoming cobblers. Once she does this, she also vows never to let music in her, or her family's life ever again to prevent it from destroying them again. They also represent the legacy she left behind, not only as a single mother who raised a daughter by herself but also her role as a businesswoman who had to make tough choices for the betterment of the family. 

Miguel's shoes represent his desire to create his own path in life and follow his passions in life despite the family banning music. They reflect his own journey of self discovery as he breaks his family tradition in order to create his own identity that is not tied with shoes. Finally, they show as a symbol of breaking the cycle at the end of the movie as he grows to accept the family history of shoemaking, but also they mean renewal and reconnection for all the family, both the living, and the dead, as they have all come together and mended the past hurts that have happened and move forward together.