Remembrance and Community

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.

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.

Students in second grade created embossed metal candles. After learning about the significance of candles for Día de los Muertos, which light the way for spirits to find the altar, students created embossed metal designs that were later glued to cardboard tubes to create artificial candles.

Students in third grade created sugar skulls, a symbol of departed loved ones. Students sculpted a basic round shape out of white air-dry clay. After the clay dried, students decorated the skulls with colorful markers.

Students in fourth and fifth grades made papel picado, which symbolizes the wind and the fragility of life. Students either cut papel picado by folding and cutting tissue paper to create a symmetrical design, or they used traditional papel picado templates. These students also created food offerings with air-dry clay for the altar. They could elect to create a traditional offering, like pan de muerto, or they could sculpt the favorite food of their deceased loved one.

A small number of students in fourth and fifth grade stayed after school to create additional elements for the altar, including a large monarch butterfly. Because monarch butterflies migrate from Canada to Mexico every year around Día de los Muertos, they are believed to be the spirits of our departed loved ones returning.

The Event Draws Near
The week before Muertos Fest, a local news station, KSAT-TV, interviewed students about their altar. Our students and school community were thrilled to share our project and their experiences making the altar.

As Día de los Muertos drew near, I gathered photos of loved ones from students and staff for the altar—pictures of beloved parents, grandparents, siblings, children, and pets.

Gathering to Remember
On the weekend of Muertos Fest, staff and volunteers gathered to lovingly assemble the altar at San Antonio’s Hemisfair. The entire project, which took about a month to complete, was truly a community event, supported by a local artist, staff members, students, and Lowe’s employees. Creating an altar for Muertos Fest gave us the opportunity to remember the lives of those we lost as a school community.