For the Día de Muertos Mexican holiday, San Diego State University’s Latinx Resource Center set up an “ofrenda” with photos of departed loved ones and decorations with marigold flowers, “calaveras,” “papel picado” and food for the deceased on Nov. 1.
It is believed that these offerings allow the deceased to reach the living and return to the afterlife after the day.
Michael Domínguez, associate professor at SDSU’s Chicana and Chicano Studies department, welcomed visitors and spoke to the crowd about the significance of this holiday and how the Latinx Resource Center space is coming together during the opening ceremony.
“Nearly five years ago, students pushed for the Latinx Resource Center from protests to challenging administration,” Domínguez said. “We created a space for 10,000 Latinx students on campus, which approximately a third of the student body identifies as such.”
Domínguez also spoke on the Latinx Resource Center’s progression this semester, mentioning that murals will be going up and there will be a grand opening on Nov. 29.
Norma Iglesias-Prieto, professor emerita of SDSU’s Chicana and Chicano Studies department, also spoke to the attendees on the holiday’s dual healing and how grief may aid in understanding communal cultural origins.
“It’s a way to display our pride and strengthen our communities,” Iglesias-Prieto said. “Chicano Mexican Americans have renewed the celebration that started in Mexico.”
Iglesias-Prieto also said Chicano culture comes from the merging of pre-Columbian and Hispanic traditions, and how Chicano culture continued to celebrate this fusion in 1973 through graffiti art in Los Angeles.
Earlier last month, the Undocumented Resource Center, Chicana/o Studies department, and the Latinx Resource Center asked the SDSU community to join in the Día de Muertos altar creation by sending out a post on the Latinx Resource Center’s Instagram asking for photo submissions to be added to the altar.
Día de Muertos is observed in various ways throughout Latin America and is a cultural custom important to Chicano and Latinx communities, especially in San Diego.
Domínguez discussed the Latinx population on campus and the meaning of this holiday folk tradition, which gained popularity with the release of Disney Pixar’s “Coco” several years ago.
“It’s exciting for students to see, feel and learn what it means,” Domínguez said. “Día de Muertos’ attention is on ancestors, departed family members, and loved ones, both personally and politically.”
Día de Muertos commemorates the lives of friends, relatives and loved ones who have departed. Also known as the “Day of the Dead,” it begins on Nov. 1 and finishes on Nov. 2.
Ximena Bustos Benitez, Undocumented Resource Center staff member and a senior kinesiology major, spoke about the meaning of Día de Muertos as a member of the Latinx and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) communities on campus.
“Many people may not have a sense of community, so it’s nice to have it in the LRC,” Bustos Benitez said. “Knowing the holiday’s history and looking at photos of their family members and ways to celebrate them.”
For more information on upcoming Latinx Resource Center and Undocumented Resource Center events, visit @sdsulrc and @sdsuurc on Instagram.
