Altares

Altares are raised places or structures used to make offerings, perform prayers, or conduct rites in honor of deities, ancestors, or spirits. In Spanish-speaking cultures, altares (the plural form) appear in homes, temples, and public ceremonies. The term derives from the Latin altar, with Spanish forming 'altar' and its plural 'altares.'

Altars take many forms and materials: stone benches or platforms, wooden tables, or richly carved shrines integrated into architecture. They typically bear sacred objects such as icons, statues, relics, candles, incense, food, and symbolic items. They may be fixed in place or portable for processions or temporary rites.

Across traditions, altars function as focal points for ritual action. In Christianity, church altars are centers for the Eucharist; in Hinduism and Buddhism, shrines and home altars house deities and ancestors for puja. In East Asian cultures, kamidana or household shrines serve similar purposes. In the Americas, ancient and modern practices used stone mesas or carved altars for offerings to gods or spirits, and Day of the Dead elevates family altars, or altares, with photographs and offerings.

In modern usage, altares range from permanent architectural features to portable ceremonial objects, used in religious rites, memorials, and private devotion. They remain embedded in cultural expressions and are often adapted to local traditions and secular commemorations.