Día de los Muertos

 I am part of Adelante! the Latin@ organization on campus, who celebrates the holiday every year. The Day of the Dead is a beautiful, colorful holiday in Mexico and around the world commemorating family and friends who have died. The celebration takes place on November 1st and 2nd. Families gather in cemeteries, create altars with offerings, ofrendas, of letters, flowers, sugar skulls, food, and pictures in honor of the deceased.  El Dia de los Muertos is not a holiday of sadness, but rather is a time for family and friends to celebrate the lives of their loved ones. 

This year we decided to visit organizations in the Twin Cities community who were holding events. Dia de los Muertos is celebrated all over the Twin Cities.  El Colegio, a charter school in Minneapolis, held festivities on Thursday, November 1st, inviting the community to dance, eat, and listen to music. Folklorico dancers performed as well as Ketzal Coatlicue, Aztec dancers from the Twin Cities. The altars at El Colegio have themes- the altar on the left is honoring Frida Kahlo.


                                                                                      

Ketzal Coatlicue, the Aztec dancers!

This year El Colegio invited Adelante! to set up an altar at the school. We were extremely honored and excited to be a part of their celebration. We chose the theme "Fallen Women of the Latina/o Community." We commemorated Lupe Ontiveros, a Latina actress who was type-casted, acting in the role of a maid hundreds of times in her career. We also honored Domitila Chungara, a Bolivian activist who created a huge movement for miners' rights in Bolivia. Here is the altar we created:



Adelante! Additionally set up an altar for the Macalester Community in the Weyerhauser Chapel. The community is invited to add to our altar.