Día de los Muertos

Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a holiday from Mexico with origins dating back to the Aztecs. Now a global festivity, it is celebrated wherever the Mexican diaspora exists. Traditionally, people build altars in their home and decorate them with ofrendas: offering for the dead. The most common offerings are: tamales, chiles, water, tequila and pan de muerto, a specific bread for the occasion, and flowers, orange or yellow cempasúchil flowers, marigolds, whose strong scent helps guide the souls home.

This year, UCSB Library is building and dedicating an altar to all the loved ones that passed away over the last year, especially those that left us because of Covid-19. We invite you to visit the altar and to write your lost loved ones names in the Notepad provided near the altar. Let’s remember our departed ones with love and happiness. 

Image from Self-Help Graphics and Art Archive, CEMA Collection, UCSB Special Collections