Senderos partners with the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History (MAH) to present a free community Diá de los Muertos festival. This authentic event features a traditional ofrenda or altar, face painting, sugar skulls, live music, folkloric dancing, food for sale, and a procession from the MAH to the Santa Cruz Mission and on to Evergreen Cemetery.
Dia de Los Muertos Memories
Día de los Muertos 2021 at Evergreen Cemetery
We enjoyed live performances by Senderos’ Centeotl Danza y Baile and Ensamble Musical de Senderos. We strolled through the cemetery in a self-guided presentation of community altars and viewed ofrendas (altars) honoring those buried at Evergreen Cemetery created by local community organizations and members.
MAH’s outreach & inclusion manager Helen Aldana and Megan Martinez Goltz created a short film, Honrando Mis Ancestros y Comunidad. Watch the short film and read more on the MAH’s blog here.
Día de los Muertos 2020: A Month-Long Celebration
We weren’t able to have our usual in-person weekend festival in 2020, but we had some wonderful virtual and safe community events co-presented by Senderos and the MAH.
Here are the highlights:
Video Performance: Ensamble Musical de Senderos banda performance – Bring the beautiful music of Día de Muertos to your home in a pre-recorded musical performance filmed at Evergreen Cemetery.
Video Performance: Centeotl Danza y Baile dance performance – See traditional folkloric dances from Mexico.
Educational Video: Día de los Muertos History Lesson – Enjoy this video at Evergreen Cemetery for a quick history of Día de los Muertos and some traditions surrounding the Day of the Dead.
Video Tutorial: Calavera Face Paint – Calavera (skull) is a familiar symbol of Dia de los Muertos celebration that represents the departed soul folks honor on their altar. Learn from local artist Evelyn Salguero in a video tutorial of how to paint your (or someone else’s) face with the vibrant calavera.
November 2-7, 2020
Pop-Up Installation: Community Altars & Ribbons at Evergreen Cemetery
Stroll through Evergreen Cemetery in a self-guided walking tour of Senderos and other community ofrendas (altars) and view of a community-sourced ribbon installation Recordando Recuerdos.
Pop-Up Installation: Community Ofrenda at the MAH created with Senderos
Take a moment to pause with a community altar (ofrenda). The ofrenda welcomes your stories of loved ones who have passed. Altars are built to honor the dead, welcome them to the living world, and celebrate with the offerings placed on the altar. Stop by the MAH to view the ofrenda and hold space for reflection.
Read more on the MAH’s blog here.
For more information on Dia activities, please contact Helen Aldana at helen@santacruzmah.org or leave a voice message at 831.429.1964 ext. 7032.
