![]() Photo of her aunt with lei wrapped around bottom, tier 2 on the right ![]() “When she passed away and I was cleaning her house, that bottle was still in the wrapper. “I always actively participated in Dia de los Muertos but it wasn’t until 2012 when I actually started actively building my own altar.” Photo of her mother, tier 2 in the middle with a white frame So when she passed away I inherited her Yellow Rose.” She said she bought it because I was the only granddaughter from Texas. Statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus that her grandmother used to place at the entry of her house, tier 1 Structure composed of cinder blocks and boards, partly as a nod to common Mexican construction methods It’s been nice to share and educate people about it.” “I’ve been doing different Tik Toks for Day of the Dead how to make the arch and paper flowers. It was a good reminder to me that death is - you’re missing the person, but you shouldn’t mourn their death, you should celebrate their life.”Īrch of paper marigolds with monarch butterflies, top It was like a fiesta.you could tell they had a good time. Just seeing how the families decorated the gravesites, how they brought food, they spend their time there celebrating their ancestors. The graveyards were beautifully decorated with marigold, so I stopped to get out and look around. It wasn’t until I went to Mexico and experienced it firsthand is when I started building altars.Just actually experiencing it firsthand in Mexico was spiritual and impactful.We drove to Patzcuaro in Michoacan.and we passed by the graveyards. “My family didn’t actively make an altar or any of that. After high school I started discovering it and celebrating it.” Jen Negrete, household altar on display at Centro Cultural Aztlan: “My mom came from that generation that had their culture suppressed. Texas Public Radio Tiers numbered from top (1) to bottom (6). Ofrenda: food, drink, and other treats placed on the altar as a tribute to the people being commemorated there usually people place items that were favorites of their loved ones.Water: to help slake the thirst of souls who have made the long journey to the afterlife.Papel picado: the brightly colored, intricately cut tissue paper hung for decoration with holes to allow souls to travel through them.Pan de muerto: a traditional bread made as an offering to the dead, covered by four thick lines and a sphere to represent bones and a skull.Xoloitzcuincli : a breed of dog that is said to guide souls along the journey to the afterlife both skeletons and clay figures of the dog have been found in ancient burial sites in Mexico.Monarch butterflies: migrating back to their wintering spot in Michoacan, Mexico at this time of year, they are said to represent the souls of the dead.Calaveras: skulls that represent those who have passed made out of a sugar merengue mixture and brightly decorated a continuation of an Aztec practice who used to make representations of their gods out of amaranth seeds and honey.Cempasuchil : the Mexican word for ‘marigold’ derived from the nahuatl language typically blooming around this time of year, the strong scent is said to attract souls of the dead some people will make paths for the souls with the flower’s petals.Earth is represented with plants and vegetables or sometimes literally sand or dirt. Water is typically poured in a cup and placed centrally. Wind is represented by the holes in papel picado (explained below). They usually contain representations of the four elements. Read on to view the diverse altars throughout San Antonio whose decor, stories and traditions remind us that in commemorating death, we encounter the beauty of life.ĭepending on space, a more traditional altar is either composed of seven tiers, representing the Seven Deadly Sins, or three tiers, representing the Holy Trinity. One of its most prominent customs is setting up altars to honor relatives, friends, and even pets who have died. “We’ve had to fight perceptions that it was something macabre,” said Malena Gonzalez-Cid, the executive director of Centro Cultural Aztlan, which will host their 44th annual exhibit to honor the holiday this coming week. as new generations embrace the holiday to joyfully and respectfully celebrate past lives. Once seen as dark and occult, its popularity is growing in the U.S. Instead, he said it “is meant for celebrating the dead with food, drinks, and parties the dead enjoyed.” It is not Mexican Halloween, emphasized Williams Sandria, an 8th grader at Woodlawn Academy. Día de los Muertos is a millenia-old tradition, with roots in indigenous Mexico, for honoring the memory and souls of departed loved ones.
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