By Alexandra Vargas
On Saturday, October 26th, The Penn Museum opened its doors bright and early for the rich CultureFest celebration of Día De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Organized by The Mexican Cultural Center and Mexico Consulado of Philadelphia, the celebration was scheduled for many activities including games, art, music and food. Kids, families, and people in traditional costumes attended the celebration for a day of culture and appreciation.
Día de los Muertos is a festivity celebrated by members across all Latinx communities worldwide to honor ancestors and deceased loved ones. This tradition, which lasts 3 days from October 31st-November 2nd, emerged from Atzec-origins, which influenced much of present-day Mexico and surrounding countries. One of the most important traditions of this celebration is the making of ofrendas, or altars, which serve as an offering to the honorary dead. Every year, the festival at the Penn Museum exhibits a large central ofrenda, designed by a variety of local artists. This year, the altar was designed by artists Cesar Viveros and Francisco Gorgua and its theme honored Mexican indigenous languages, which includes more than 65 that are spoken in Mexico today. The alter consisted of a large brown board of indigenous writing, surrounded by colorful flowers and offerings, and stood in the center of the gallery (pictured above). In the afternoon, Cesar Viveros himself spoke about the importance of Mexican indigenous languages and their preservation today. Near the entrance of the celebration, there were other homemade community ofrendas, each submitted by local members for a prize-winning competition. The altars had beautiful orange flowers, crosses, bottles, and some even had the character of Miguel from Disney-Pixar’s Coco. The alters were only one part of the day of festivities.
Throughout the day, there were a variety of performances, including Storytelling of the Cempasuchil Flower by Cecilia Huesco and Traditional Aztec dances by the Kalpulli Kamaxtle Xuihcaoti group. Other dances, such as folkloric ballet, were performed by the Yaretzi Dance Group. Even the Penn flutes gave a wonderful performance! Live music filled the galleries of the museum and the melodies of traditional Latinx culture were heard and appreciated by everyone.
Many activities at the celebration also involved arts-and-crafts, such as face-painting, tissue paper flower-making, and the crafting of Catrina dolls, which are traditional Mexican hand-made dolls. Throughout the gallery, many vendors had posts featuring Latin American goods, including traditional earrings, handbags, and wallets. Throughout the day, Mexican cuisine was offered, and Mexican chocolates were provided for sale. In the afternoon, “Pan de Muerto” and Mexican hot chocolate were served to all members of the celebration. “Pan De Muerto” is a type of traditional pan dulce which is made during the weeks leading up to Dia De Los Muertos. Mexican cultural short films were also on display and language lessons of Nahuati, the traditional Aztec language, were offered. Walking around the galleries, one could delve into the Latinx culture of Dia De Los Muertos through the art of the ofrendas, food, crafts, and traditional Latin American goods.
As the celebration came to an end, many attendees made last-minute purchases of food and goods. The altars were appreciated one last time before the doors closed. Light music still rang within the galleries, as vendors were clearing up their stations. Everyone was heading home to get ready for the upcoming festivities of their own celebrations of Día De Los Muertos, hoping to come back again next year for another beautiful festival.