At the Chico Cemetery, celebrating Día de los Muertos

Families gather to honor a Latin American tradition
by Ulises Duenas | Posted October 29, 2023

photo by Ulises Duenas
An altar at the Chico Cemetery.

Death is universal and inevitable. It’s almost impossible to prevent a loved one’s death from being emotionally painful when it happens. But how a culture or family views death and the passing of a loved one is far from universal.

Día de los Muertos, or “Day of the Dead,” is a Mexican holiday that came from combining Aztec and Spanish traditions. The focus is on celebrating the lives of those we lost and using food and music to give them a good time before their souls return to rest. The holiday is all about associating death with feelings of joy and thankfulness rather than with reopening old wounds. read more