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El Dia de los Muertos is a Mexican tradition that has been around for the last 3,000 years. The three-day-long celebration, which begins Sunday, honors our loved ones who have passed.

Long ago, Dia de los Muertos was celebrated during the months of July and August. When the Spanish conquistadors arrived, they moved the dates to coincide with All Saints Day on Nov. 1; this way, they reasoned, it would be a more religious celebration.

We honor our loved ones by arranging an ofrenda, similar to an altar, with their favorite foods, beverages, sugar skulls and music. The sugar skulls are a big part of the tradition; they symbolize death and rebirth.

The ofrenda is set for the spirits to come and enjoy the offerings; we use flor de cempasuchil, a yellow marigold, to lead the spirits to the ofrenda. The marigold is similar to the color of the earth, making it easier for the spirit to find his or her way home.

One of my fondest memories of Dia de los Muertos was from about 20 years ago. About 30 of us, including relatives from all over Mexico, gathered at my mom's home.

Early in the day we ate, drank and reminisced about our time with my grandmother. We went to her gravesite and brought her flowers, candles and her ofrenda from home. We prayed, talked to her, talked about her and most of all recalled all our wonderful memories of her.

We sat down and ate dinner, then packed up her ofrenda and brought it back home.

Each offering is specific to the deceased and is presented with much love and respect. The owners of Las Palmas, where I work, for example, spend the whole day making atole, a type of dessert. The atole is an offering to their maternal grandmother, Gerarda Avila.

Making atole is a laborious task. Milk, lime peel, white rice and spices are stirred until it reaches a thick consistency, almost like nougat. The mixture is then poured and left to set in a baking pan.

It takes about 12 gallons of milk and a strong arm to stir the atole consistently for about nine hours. It is a family effort.

This year, I will honor my maternal grandmother, Rosa Ramirez, with a simple pork tenderloin, her absolute favorite. I rub the pork vigorously with parsley, thyme and rosemary, then slow-roast it in the oven.

I'll serve the pork with purslane (you can substitute spinach) and zucchini sauteed in chile-ajo. Chile ajo is a straightforward sauce consisting of garlic, chile de arbol and chile guajillo.

To this meal, we will add my grandmother's much-loved dessert, Mexican bread pudding, and her preferred drink, tequila's smoky cousin mezcal.

Armando Gonzalez is the chef at Las Palmas, 1835 W. North.