Dia de los Muertos and what it means to students at El Camino

By Angel Pasillas • November 2, 2023

Volunteers, workers and art students honor those who have passed by setting up an altar and creating a Dia De Los Muertos exhibit at the Arts Complex on Nov. 1. ( Isabelle Ibarra | The Union)

Calaveras. Colors. Candles. Flowers.

This is what every Dia de los Muertos altar consists of.

El Camino’s altar at the Art Gallery is no different.

Dia de los Muertos is about honoring and remembering the dead.

The holiday takes place in many countries in Latin America with each country having its own version of the holiday.

The holiday is observed from Nov. 1 to Nov. 2 every year, although it may vary by country.

Coordinator of the Dia De Los Muertos exhibit, Dulce Stein, stands inside a woven casket donated by UCLA art students who made it. The piece carries a lot of symbolism as the golden halo above creates a heavenly glow that is supposed to represent the overlooked beauty death can hold. (Isabelle Ibarra| The Union)

Associated Students Organization Senator of Fine Arts Dulce Stein said she normally asks artists to prepare the altar, but this year, she felt comfortable setting up the altar along with a few students from the Puente Club.

Stein said the left side of the El Camino altar is dedicated to the children who have lost their lives. She was invested in creating the altar for the kids as many have been dying around the world.

It consists of tamarind candies, hot chocolate, fruits, and sopa aguada, a type of Mexican pasta soup.

On the main altar of the Dia De Los Muertos exhibit, there are bowls filled with edible items such as coffee with cinnamon sticks, beans, grain, and rice which are offerings all meant to symbolize remembrance and care for those who have died. (Isabelle Ibarra| The Union)

The left side of the altar is filled with yellow, lavender, and blue boxes.

The main altar in the center contains coffee, cinnamon, brown sugar, corn maize, beans, rice, pan dulce and bolillo, Stein said.

The altar hosts two large Calaveras (skulls) made of papier-mâché and is adorned with beautiful cempazuchitl flowers.

In the Dia De Los Muertos exhibit at the Arts Complex, an altar filled with traditional Mexican toys and treats were placed to honor children who have died. (Isabelle Ibarra| The Union)

Stein said a baseball at the altar was donated by an anthropology professor.

The fondest memory the anthropology professor had was playing ball with his father, Stein said.

The altar’s right side features a large tomb decorated with different colors of yarn and a portrait of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

The Arts Complex hosts an exhibit and educational event for Dia De Los Muertos in honor of those who have died on Nov. 1. ( Isabelle Ibarra| The Union)

Naye Ortiz, a member of the Puente Club, said keeping the memory of their grandfather alive is what Dia de los Muertos means to them.

Ortiz said the way they celebrate Dia de los Muertos is with “yellow conchitas,” conchas being a type of Mexican sweet bread. Concha translates to shells, referring to the traditional breads signature appearance.

Oscar Angeles, an aerospace major, said that his father’s family is from Oaxaca, Mexico, and that they do an altar.

“[Dia de los Muertos] means celebrating and bringing my culture over here,” Angeles said.