Student Tribune

The Day of the Dead (DIA DE LOS MUERTOS) also known as All Saint Days.

The Day of the Dead (celebrated on November 1st and 2nd) is a tradition that has origins to the pre-Hispanic Cultures in México (Toltec, Aztec, Tlaxcaltec, Chichimec and others). These cultures believed that when a person died, they had a journey through nine underworlds before reaching the Mictlán (heaven). It was also believed that it took four years for the soul to reach the Mictlán. In their passage, the spirits had to cross a river and to do so they needed a dog. Therefore it was customary for the dead to be buried with their favorite items, food for the journey and a dog to guide them.

Traditionally, many families in Mexico built an altar on the days leading up to November 1st. Some people begin weeks in advance and hire professionals to build elaborate altars while others create their own modest altars with sincere and loving memories.

Please stop by PRISM to admire an altar dedicated in honor of Dr. Ana Maria "China" Rodriguez. Dr. Rodriguez was a faculty in Chemistry and World Languages and Cultures Departments and retired in 2000.

Attached Files:
Altar 2018 2.JPG

Alas, Jorge
World Languages and Cultures
11/01/2018