On October 30, the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program and Anthropology department hosted the annual Día de los Muertos Celebration in the Casa Iberia courtyard.

Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a tradition of the Mayan people to honor deceased loved ones by decorating their graves and creating alters with food and objects symbolizing parts of their lives.  The celebration featured a special guest, Sebastian Si Pop, an important member of the San Juan Chamelco community in Guatemala, which mostly consists of Q'eqchi Maya.  He spoke only Spanish, and Professor of Anthropology Ashley Kistler translated for the audience. He gave a detailed description of what the Día de los Muertos celebration, held every November 2, is like is his home town.

“The cleaning, painting and decorating of the graves happens in the morning…later in the afternoon, everyone returns to the cemetery to be with their ancestors and to light candles,” he said.

One of the event planners, Christina Grass (Class of 2010), said festival planning has been going on since the start of the semester.  She explained that Kistler had completed her graduate thesis in Sebastian Si Pop’s town and continues to visit annually, maintaining her relationships she has formed through out the years. 

“I learned a great deal about the adaptability of the Maya,” said Grass. “They have found amazing ways of keeping their own culture alive while accommodating the influence of globalization. Many people believe that the Maya are an extinct people when in fact they have a flourishing culture in many parts of Meso-America.”

After the discussion ended, attendees were able to take a closer look at an alter that had been created and were provided food that would be found at a native Día de los Muertos celebration. 

-Darby Asner (Class of 2011)

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