“We had to have a sign up sheet so we knew when to come in so people could view the altar and to also limit people to accommodate,” Trueblood said. In light of COVID-19, many restrictions were in place to ensure the safety of students and faculty. “By putting it in the DML lounge it could bridge the co-curricular world and the academic world,” Trueblood said. In previous years altars were in the Janet Wallace Fine Arts building or inside the Spanish department. “It is a perfect way to celebrate our loved ones in the past.”ĭean of Multicultural Life Marjorie Trueblood also collaborated with Professor Ortiz-Diaz this year to house the altar in the DML lounge for the first time. “This is a celebration that makes me feel connected to my Indigenous roots in Mexico,” he said.
immigration system.įor Ortiz-Diaz, Dia de los Muertos has an important connection to his heritage. In past years, the altar was dedicated to those killed by the current U.S. In a normal year, students would give out tamales, pan de muertos and Mexican hot chocolate and chat with students and other faculty about who the altar is dedicated to. In previous years, students from the student organization Adelante!, along with Ortiz-Diaz, held dedication ceremonies to celebrate Dia de los Muertos.
Similarly, celebrations at Macalester were different. Instead of being a public celebration it was more private.” “More traditionally, people set up altars at home. “Cemeteries were closed and people had to set up altars at their homes,” Ortiz-Diaz said. “People clean the graves of their families and go to mass,” he said.”People also have get-togethers with family.”ĭue to COVID-19, Dia de los Muertos celebrations this year were different. It was celebrated by the Aztecs but it was synchronized with Catholicism to what it is today.”ĭiaz also described how people celebrate the holiday in Mexico. “It’s not Mexican Halloween,” said associate professor of Spanish and Portuguese Ernesto Ortiz-Diaz. Dia de los Muertos, however, is often misunderstood. In light of so much loss, it is important to recognize a holiday commemorating those who have passed. The devastation caused by the pandemic was front and center in the Dia de los Muertos altar located in the Department of Multicultural Life (DML) lounge in Kagin Commons, which was dedicated to COVID-19 victims.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in over 231,000 deaths throughout the country, Macalester students and faculty are looking at ways to commemorate those lost.
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