How a photographer’s ‘magnetic’ bond with his grandmother inspired his Día de Muertos celebrations

As a young child, Carlos Eric Lopez remembers watching his grandmother Abuelita Lita make her ofrendas in honor of Día de Los Muertos, also known as Day of the Dead.

Photos of deceased family members were placed on an altar with candles, flowers and tokens representing them. Large or small, it was a space to commemorate the dearly departed.

An only child and “military brat” who moved frequently, Lopez had a strong family bond, especially with Lita, whom he describes as “the cornerstone” of his family.

“She’s the matriarch,” he tells TODAY.com. “The importance of her and her significance was really beautiful.”

It wasn’t until his own mother, Josephine “Josie” Cisneros Lopez, died when he was 17 that he began to understand the magnitude and beauty of the Mexican holiday celebrated in Latin America.

Day of the Dead is celebrated in many ways, but the goal is to keep the memory of the beloved deceased alive in the belief that one day you will be reunited. It takes place on November 1 and 2, but can be celebrated on different days depending on the region.

Lopez has been on a mission to educate his non-Latino friends about the importance of Día de Muertos, and his determination all started as a result of the pandemic.

“My family started getting sick from COVID,” Lopez recalls, recounting how he delved into his heritage when family members died.

“I really wanted to connect with them more, I wanted to find a way to keep their memories (alive). And this is when my altar absolutely started exploding with every decor you could imagine. It started to overflow with photos. I would buy flowers. I would take all their stuff that they used to love. I would put food on it. I put drinks on it, and I really started to make something beautiful out of it.

In late 2021, as people started gathering again, he had friends politely asking why he had so many photos of his deceased family on his table.

“The easiest way to explain it to them was, ‘Have you seen the movie ‘Coco’?” he says. “As much as I love the movie, and it’s a great reference, I thought, ‘This can’t be the way I explain this magical day that we all celebrate.'”

That’s when Lopez, who was influenced by his late mother to explore art, decided to host his first intimate Día de Muertos dinner.

Photos from the event attracted worldwide attention from Latinos who thanked him for honoring the culture in an authentic way. The success of the dinner prompted him to organize a larger event in 2022 and grow it into an important cultural celebration.

The second annual During the Día de Muertos event, friends and celebrities gathered at Casa De Plata in Los Angeles, a hacienda-style home designed by Ricardo Legorreta, the protégé of Mexican architect Luis Barragán.

As the third year rolled around, it became a larger than life gala in Lita’s honor and took place at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. He also debuted his beverage company, Cura Lita, named after his grandmother.

Lopez didn’t intend for it to be a Día de Muertos gala, but he’s still honored to integrate traditional elements with new traditions he’s establishing while continuing to host. That includes honoring actor Gaël García Bernal with the inaugural Premio Vida y Legado (Life and Legacy Award) during the 2023 celebration, as well as Lita with the inaugural Abuelita Award.

“Since my mother passed away, a bond has developed that has really become more exciting in a beautiful way. When we are together, we create my mother because she is an older generation, I am a younger generation,” says Lopez. “So we create this magnetic field together.”

Establishing himself as “King of the Dead,” Lopez’s upcoming 2024 gala, themed “Hecho in Hollywood,” will take place at the historic Paramount Studios and spotlight the contributions of Latinos in Hollywood.

“What I really want to point out and emphasize is, ‘Who puts the ‘hecho’ in Hollywood?’ They’re Latinos,” Lopez says. “We are often the hidden and driving force behind so many industries and so many jobs that we often go unnoticed.”

Instead of adding to the “there’s not enough representation” conversation, Lopez wants to “show the world what Latinos actually look like in Hollywood.”

He took over a Paramount Studios soundstage because of its connection Desilu Studiosco-founded by “I Love Lucy” stars and former couple Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.

“We’ve always been in Hollywood. Let’s emphasize who we are,” he says. “Let’s change and control the narrative to celebrate each other, celebrate our past.”

To bring his vision to life, Lopez enlisted Academy Award-winning production designer Eugenio Caballero. The Mexican creative is the mastermind behind the shows ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’, ‘A Monster Calls’, ‘Roma’ and Cirque du Soleil.

Speaking to TODAY.com, Caballero said he was intrigued by Lopez’s interesting approach to Día de Muertos because it connected his love of film with honoring the Latino community who “fought in their own trenches to make this dream a reality.” help create that Hollywood.”

“Normally I make movies, but I like to do (other projects)… to shake my comfort zone,” says Caballero. “And Day of the Dead is personally the most important in terms of soul, but also visually (stunning). It is the party that really attracts me from all the Mexican festivities.”

Tradition and modernity are at the forefront of Caballero’s work for the gala. Marigolds, candles and sugar skulls will be involved, yet interwoven with theatrical techniques used in classic Hollywood musicals to embrace and integrate the sound stage. He will also honor Mexican architecture with the stage and decorations.

Eva Longoria will receive the Premio Vida y Legado this year. Actor Isabela Merced will present the Abuelita Award to her aunt Gloria Rojas in honor of her late grandmother and perform the traditional Día de Muertos anthem “La Llorona.” Miguel will perform at the very first afterparty.

Lopez credits Lita with keeping his family’s memories alive, saying she “has a beautiful sense of belonging and family” that he also incorporates into his gala.

“She passed it on to my mother. My mother passed it on to me,” he says. “That’s where this all comes into play. I really love heritage and heritage… I want to make sure everyone feels like they are part of the gala.”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com