Día de los Muertos: A Path to Preservation and Celebration

Maintaining a tradition alive is a lot like a never-ending marathon. Personal circumstances often become an obstacle during the race, however, there are moments that keep us moving forward. As the Education Coordinator at the MAH, one of these moments was the privilege of diving in deeper with two trailblazers in our community. A year ago, we partnered with sisters Maestra Fe Silva y Dr. Nereida Robles, founders of Senderos to create a K-12th lesson plan on Día de los Muertos.

Despite being apart, working together, digitally, was rewarding and insightful. Maestra Fe and Dr. Nereida’s narratives and perspectives contributed to the meaning behind the lesson plan. The process of working with them offered an impactful learning opportunity for me as an educator to gather and share stories that support the growth and truth of our community. The lesson plan itself offers a learning opportunity for all of us to celebrate and practice that truth within our community.

As Día de los Muertos approaches this year, Helen, Outreach & Inclusion Manager, and I asked ourselves: why is it important for us to continue to learn about Día de los Muertos? In other words, why is it important that we celebrate other cultures and traditions in our community? Let alone, why should they be included in learning curriculums?

At the MAH, we value bringing communities together and welcome them to create a space that celebrates their identities and traditions. By partnering with Senderos, we work with leaders that bond our community by practicing and teaching their traditions. These are collaborations that encourage continued learning of ourselves and one another. These are collaborations that unite us as we learn how to care for one another. We are not alone in these values. Día de los Muertos has been inscribed in the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), an act of preserving and elevating this tradition worldwide.

To harvest a sense of relevance and cultural awareness, we should rely on encouraging ourselves and others to participate in each other’s history. Only then could we safeguard sacred and essential traditions that would, in the end, show us a positive sign of a healthy and welcoming community.

The microcultures, similar to the microclimates, found in Santa Cruz, are alive today because they stand tall and proud behind annual celebrations and gatherings like Día de los Muertos.

We invite you to participate by celebrating yourself, your neighbors, and your loved ones passed and present at this year’s Día de los Muertos with Senderos. As we gather safely this year, we hope to demonstrate why it is important to learn about Día de los Muertos, because together we can grow into a community that celebrates and honors each other’s presence, history, and future.