Dead and buried does not mean gone and forgotten on the mystical Dia de los Muertos, when the world of the living and the world of the dead cross paths for a beautiful ancient ceremony. Southwestern College students and staff joined in the Aztec world’s colorful and spiritual tribute to those who have gone to the next realm.
Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) dates back to at least 4,000 years in Aztec and Mesoamerican civilizations. Spanish conquistadors called it “a mock to the dead,” which is partly true. Dia de los Muertos plays on the Mexican virtue of fearlessly laughing at death, but more than that, it is a Mexican celebration of the memories of beloved ancestors.
Though hundreds of years have passed away since the fall of the Aztec empire, Mexicans and Mexican-Americans still gather on Nov. 2 to honor the dead.
Southwestern College’s Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA) Club decorated an altar with vibrant Dia de los Muertos garnishes outside the Student Center. Pictures of historic icons like Frida Kahlo, Cesar Chavez, Martin Luther King Jr. and Emiliano Zapata had center stage. Dia de los Muertos offerings filled the altar with baskets of fruit, fried-red Mexican rice, tortillas, mole with chicken, sugar calaveras, marigolds, music, vegetables, tequila and candles.
Foods and accessories are offered to honor the earthly favorites of the deceased, giving them a taste of life. This tradition comes from the belief that during the darkest hours of the night, the dead come back to life and eat from the offerings.
“I came here to celebrate my Grandma who passed away,” said MEChA member Miguel Camacho, 21, a political science major. “We put out pictures of our deceased, lit up candles in our houses to invite them in and feed them with their favorite foods.”
Camacho said the custom is that family members do not eat before midnight in respect to the dead, allowing them to feast before the living.
SWC students passing by the MEChA altar were offered a cutout of the skull-shaped image of the underworld goddess Mictecacihuatl to color and write down the name of their beloved deceased. Dia de los Muertos was chaired by Mictecacihuatl, known as the “Lady of Death,” Catrina” or Queen of Mictlan, the underworld. Because of her depiction as a colorful living skeleton, people make skull-shaped art resembling her. After decorating their paper skulls, students could hang them on the back of the altar.
Honoring the dead were Jessica Gutierrez, 20, a civil engineer major who was remembering her uncle, and Karla Pazarin, 17, child development major, who was there for her grandmother.
The dead lay in their place of rest in the afterlife, but for those who celebrate this ritual, their memories bring them back to life for one mystical evening. Time has erased individuals, cities and even complete civilizations, but one thing left behind is el Dia de los Muertos, which seems like it will live on for eons.