Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) Altar Presentation and Ofrenda

Join us for a short presentation and ofrenda at a Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) altar created by UCSB students in celebration of the holiday. Everyone is welcome to attend.

The altar is composed of shoebox altars created by students in workshops on October 14 and October 20 in the Library’s Makerspace, and will be on display until November 3 in the Library’s Ethnic and Gender Studies Collection space (2nd Floor, Ocean Side).  Each shoebox altar represents an ofrenda created to honor loved ones who passed away and includes photographs, items or other reflections that represent the individual(s) being honored.

Día de los Muertos is a traditional holiday held on November 1 and 2. Originally celebrated in Mexico and other parts of Latin America, its roots are traced to both Catholic and prehispanic Indigenous practices of preparing altars and offerings for the spirits of loved ones who have passed away. The tradition did not become a widely-known, public celebration in the United States until the 1970s and 1980s when Chicano/a artists and activists began producing altar, processions, and other events. The Chicano movement is a social and cultural movement that worked towards the political empowerment of, ethnic solidarity, and pride in being of Indigenous descent for Mexican Americans.