Altar Reflection

I am grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in the making of this years altars for Día de Lis Muertos. Learning about what Día de Los Muertos represents and the history behind it helped me understand the importance of the tradition. Growing up, I saw my mom's mini alters lit with candles, pictures and incents hidden in random places in our household. Some would be placed  on top of her dresser or on top the highest shelve in the closet. Although we practiced making altars, we never adopted the tradition of Día de Los Muertos. Having the opportunity to engage in this tradition was really special to me. Seeing the variety of the beautiful altars created and the uniqueness embedded in each was amazing to see. Every altar has a story and unique remembrances to their loved ones who have passed. Claudia Luna Castro mentions that her altars are made different every year such as placing different flowers but the unique part of her altar is the components made by her children which she incorporates. She also mentions the practice of cleansing the altar before lighting everything up which I thought was different and unique. I also thought it was beautiful that she wrote a poem for her grandmother. In her poem she writes, "this is why, in my altar, there's room, incense light and water in a cup" (22:07), just how her grandma taught her.  I thought the poem was a special and personal way in which she is able to communicate not just through the altar, but with the words of her heart through this beautiful poem. 

Altar Reflection - Mariana Aguiniga

Mariana Aguiniga

Altar Reflection 

Being from a traditional Latino household I had the impression that ofrendas/altars always followed a similar structure by including certain elements, at least that was something I was accustomed to seeing when growing up. I was very fond of the fact that amongst the Altars/Ofrendas that were created by my fellow peers none looked too alike. Each one took it in a unique direction, I really came to appreciate this. I wasn’t sure how this project in general was going to turn out due to the fact it was something I was used to seeing be done physically by hand however this online approach gave students more creative space to experiment with. In particular I was intrigued with the direction that Altar team 5 took this project in. For example their water element they used an image of the Rio Grande at the very bottom of the altar. As they explained that crossing the rio represents both uncertainty and hope, I think this is where resilience is introduced the risk of starting and completing this journey in aspirations of “a better life”. They also included a candle to represent their fire element, as they had mentioned “With the candles we are memorializing and morning the literal death of so many, but also the death of the lives we all took for granted, while still trying to remain hopeful.” This allowed me to think and reflect on my own life, there is more out there that is greater than me and my problems as an individual and I think that is such a significant thing to take account of. 

Altar reflection on El Centro's virtual event of Día de Los Muertos

 The virtual celebration of Día de Los Muertos hosted by El Centro was a lovely and educational experience. I also want to commend them on taking the time to show the importance of times we are living in. I really appreciated it that they took the time to inform the community how much we, as a Latinx community, have been affected by the virus this year. It is important to not just read about it in the news but also hear leaders from our community be vocal about it. Additionally, what a great platform to continue to inform the viewers on voting procedures, I hope this motivates more people to get out and make their voice heard. The altar that I want to talk about is the one created by the poet Claudia Luna Castro and her family. Aside from the beautiful and traditional elements depicted, there was comments she made about the process that caught my attention. Castro mentions that although altar making is a traditional practice, “every year it looks a little different [19:35].” It reminds me how powerful art can be to express and be a constant reflection of the current times. I also love that even though the theme might differ every year, Castro’s altar has some elements that are always present, which make it very personal. She mentions how there are components to her family’s altar that are family-made, she specifically mentions things handmade by her children that were incorporated into the altar since they were young and continue to be part of it even though they are now adults. There is a lovely message of connection and consistency in imagining how her altar changes with the times but is also rooted in her family’s history and roots. There was one last noticeable moment in her altar presentation for me and that occurred when she began to read a poem she wrote for her grandma. The upside of having a virtual platform allowed for us to see both the altar and her, while hearing her poem layered on top of the beautiful ofrenda her family had created. It allowed me to imagine future in-person altares having an audio component to them as well.

Frida Kahlo: Resistance & Resilience

 Link to slides

Dia de Los Muertos - El Centro Review, Reeder

 The day has finally come for our group altares to be on display for everyone to see! Looking at Group 2's altar (Daniela Altamirano Crosby, Vilma Odette Alvarado Garcia and Carla Annet Avila) I love the arch they created with the marigolds. I appreciate the highlight of how COVID-19 is impacting those in prison, ICE detention centers, and essential works with the article headlines on the third level of the altar. 

Francisca Garcia held the workshop that we had attended a while ago when this project was assigned. I love that she is a part of the event the same way at the workshop: explain what an ofrenda is and how to build one. My favorite aspect of her altar is the remembrance chair that she has next to it for her ancestor Roberto for whenever he wants to come and sit. The chair is for him to feel welcome. I hadn't seen that before and thought it was a very touching aspect to her altar.

Dia de los Muertos at El Centro review

The show that El Centro de la Raza put on this year was very fun to watch. I enjoyed listening to the little kids choir and thought that it was nice that they are learning about this beautiful celebration from such a young age. Francisca Garcia's altar stood out to me because of the way her set up was made. She was one of my interviewees for my groups podcast and seeing her ofrenda helped me better understand everything we talked about. It was very nice that a few people's ofrendas not only had pictures of their loved ones, but they also included people who have passed away because of COVID 19, at detention centers, crossing the border as well as Black lives who have been lost against police brutality. Claudia Luna Castro's ofrenda was also one that was nice to look at because she stated that she changes the way her ofrenda looks every year depending on what is happening that year. Overall, all of the ofrendas were very nice and I really liked how there was even a small part where an art exhibit was mentioned and briefly talked about. 

Dia de los Muertos Celebration El Centro Reveiw

Francisca Garcia's Ofrenda for Roberto stood out to me. Making an Ofrenda from a chair reflects upon the space that people can take up. The chair was beautifully decorated, where the colors add a vibrant quality to the physically empty space, and I think that this is what brings joy out of feelings of hollowness that could linger. A chair takes up space whether someone is sitting in it or not. Whereas altar's can set up a space to interface with the land of the dead, a chair brings the Ofrenda into personal life as an everyday object that isn't normally dignified as special. Decorating the makes it stand out without removing it's existence as a chair, welcoming in Roberto to take their place along living.