The assembled altar illuminated at night.

Shannon Cregg

While touring the campus of my new school, I was introduced to my assistant principal, who immediately made an intriguing proposal to me: “You should create an altar with your students for Muertos Fest.”

As the new art teacher, I was unsure of how to respond. I understood that undertaking the creation of an altar would be a large commitment, while at the same time, I was aware that it would be an opportunity for our school community to come together to remember those we lost. Muertos Fest is a two-day festival in San Antonio that celebrates Día de Los Muertos with community altars, live music, and cultural workshops

Collaborating and Consulting
As someone with no prior experience with Día de los Muertos, I was uncertain where to start, or if it was even appropriate for me to lead the building of an altar. Because Herff Elementary is a Spanish and English dual-language school with a rich Hispanic heritage, I thought that celebrating Día de los Muertos, which is observed throughout Mexico and Latin America, would be a meaningful expression of many of my students’ cultural heritages.

Creating an altar for Muertos Fest gave us the opportunity to remember the lives of those we lost as a school community.

To ensure I gave proper honor to this tradition, I collaborated and consulted with artists and teachers who were more knowledgeable about Día de los Muertos than me. In particular, I enlisted the expertise of San Antonio artist David Medina to help with the construction of the altar and to brainstorm ideas.

We decided to create an altar to honor family members of staff and students who had passed. Students in kindergarten through fifth grade learned about the complex traditions of Día de los Muertos and created marigolds, papel picado, food offerings, candles, and sugar skulls for the altar, with each grade level focusing on a different aspect of the tradition.

Making the Altar
Students in kindergarten through first grade learned about how the scent of the marigold, or compasúchils, is believed to guide the spirits to the altar. Students constructed the flowers by folding tissue paper like an accordion and tying the center with a pipe cleaner.

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