It was a true dead man’s party.
Dia de los Muertos at the San Ysidro campus is when those who have gone on are the guests of honor.
Southwestern College’s southern most satellite campus gathered on October 31 for Halloween Karaoke and the next day invited their deceased loved ones back to Earth for a Day of the Dead celebration.
Halloween karaoke was overseen by ASO Senator Roy Castillo. It featured costume and karaoke contests.
“This event is to get people going and in a fun spirit,” he said.
While Halloween is scary, spooky and gauche, Dia de los Muertos was simultaneously spiritual, sad and joyous. Students played games near altars and representations of loved ones who have gone to the afterlife.
A blend of ancient Aztec religion and Catholicism, Dia de los Muertos welcomes the spirits of ancestors who travel through dark and dangerous mictlan that have returned to the Earth. Altars prepared with thoughtfulness and love feed the spirits, who, if pleased, look after their families and friends in the coming year.
Spanish instructor Sarah Heras said this was an opportunity to honor the victims of the 1984 McDonald’s massacre. SWC’s San Ysidro campus is on the site of the mass murder where 21 were killed and 22 more injured, some seriously.
“Such a tragedy happened here,” she said. “I started to think that we could honor the
victims without showing the blood and the shooting.”
Gilbert Herrera, one of Hera’s students, constructed an altar on the second
level of the campus dedicated to the mass shooting, 21 spaces to represent each of the 21
victims.
“Today is when all the people that have passed come to the Earth and spend the night
or day with us,” Heras said. “It’s a way to show that we still care about them and think about them.”
Heras said many students have ancestors from Mexico who have passed they can honor.
“We let them cross today and we spend some time together,” she said.
Brittney Castaneda, a criminal justice major, said the day was filled with the Mexican
game Loteria and students enjoyed Mexican treats and making paper flowers.
“Today is really about celebrating death and our loved ones,” she said. “The tradition itself is
nice. I think in the United States we celebrate Halloween, but Dia de los Muetros is about
family.”
(l-r) Spanish Professor Sarah Heras, Samantha González and Georgina Galaviz dress as catrinas to celebrate el Dia de los Muertos at the San Ysidro campus. Photo by Thomas Contant.
