This article deals with works of art that were used in Andean churches to encourage the Christian cult of the dead during the colonial period. We argue that these works played an important role in the establishment of the cult as a replacement for the Andean cult of the dead. We also show how these works changed over the course of the colonial period, from presenting symbolic images to representing narrative scenes. One important type of work was the altar frontal, which served as a backdrop to the mass and therefore was an appropriate place for expressing concepts of Christian doctrine regarding the dead, such as the idea of purgatory and the dogma of salvation.