By Alex Avila
Adelante FYE will have an altar for the first annual Dia de los Muertos altar from Monday to Friday at E7-210 to commemorate the dead.
“Everyone knows about Dia de los Muertos but not everyone knows how important it really can be.” MESA members Citalli Martinez and Omar Rangel said.
Martinez said the duo created the altar for the first time in the MESA Center to celebrate the significance of Dia de los Muertos.
The pair began working on the altar as a place to memorialize and celebrate loved ones.
They encourage students who have lost someone important to contribute to the altar and bring anything they wish to remember their loved ones.
Martinez said her inspiration for the altar came as an idea after seeing the movie “Coco.”
She was moved by the story and realized the importance of remembering people she’s loved.
“We shouldn’t forget our loved ones that have passed and I wouldn’t want to be forgotten either,” Martinez said, stressing that it was crucial to think of all the good things about them.
The purpose of the altar and the Dia de los Muertos celebration, according to Martinez, is to “let people celebrate and keep the good memories alive. Dia de los Muertos isn’t about the suffering of death.”
Rangel wants as many people as possible to participate and celebrate with them.
Those interested can visit the MESA center and leave items that remind them of their loved ones.
“Not every household may celebrate Dia de los Muertos so they may come and celebrate it here,” Rangel said.
The items that students wish to leave should not be too valuable, Rangel specified, “but it should hold value to you […] something that can help you remember who they were and what they loved, such as a baseball, if they were a huge baseball fan.”
Martinez and Rangel want to strengthen the celebration of Dia de los Muertos with the altar and honor those who have passed, for a longer period rather than just for a week as normally.
The two wish to keep the celebration going even after Dia de los Muertos, wanting to keep the memory of people passed fresh in their mind.
With the altar, they aim to welcome people from all backgrounds to celebrate, so that everyone can feel welcome to participate.
Martinez and Rangel are currently brainstorming more ideas for future events and are accepting ideas from anybody who may have contributions.
For more information or to visit the altar, visit the MESA Center on the second level of the E-7 building.