San Antonio’s historic West Side honors los muertos on November 1

Day of the Dead, or Día de Los Muertosis a Mexican tradition that honors the memory of the dead. Several organizations in San Antonio celebrate this long tradition.

The Esperanza Peace and Justice Center will host its annual meeting Dia de Muertos event November 1. It celebrates the lives lost by the historic West Side community.

Graciela Sanchez, executive director of the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, said the event will feature a community garden of marigolds, or cempasúchil — a flower used in traditional altars to guide souls back to their families.

“The marigold has a wonderful scent, an aroma that can bring the spirits home, and they must smell it. So at the Alazán projects, the Courts, we have a few gardens there… and we give away the plants that just started as seed, and are now in pots, or are now in gardens,” she explained.

Sanchez added that the community is helping build the altars for the event. “We have several – twenty to thirty – community altars that are located in the Rinconcito. It is a larger area with many small casitas. And then we also have this one larger altar, kind of pyramid style, that came up as an idea during COVID because we couldn’t be inside,” she said.

She added: “We’re asking people to post photos of your loved ones, if you just want to honor someone who has recently passed away, or if you want to honor your little cat or dog who has passed away. It’s a community altar and you can just drop them off. And it is on the corner of Guadalupe and Southern Colorado.”

The procession passes the Alazán-Apache Courts, San Antonio’s oldest public housing project.

“People who live in housing projects often feel isolated and alone in their own community because people have said bad things about housing projects, but for us they are our community, nosotros,” Sánchez said.

She added: “Somos de Alazán courts, and they are us. …So we take the procession there, and we have groups that also do danza and bring spirit and energy to that community, and it’s also a way for young children to do that. I live near the courts of Alazán and say: ‘Mom, Dad, let’s go to the party.’

Sanchez said Esperanza’s Día de Muertos celebration also includes poetry. “We have continued to create the poetry of that time for more than 25 years. … calaveras, political satire, about a former president and how death comes and takes them. But it is poetry, and it is lyrical and clever.”

She said the event will also include MujerArtes’ annual exhibition and sale. It consists of handmade works inspired by Día de Muertos, including calacas, skulls and calaveras. It runs from 9am to 4pm until November 2.

“And then from 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM we have a lot of music from Conjunto Heritage Taller, Rito & Hunter, Panfilo’s Güera, Bene Medina, and also with our dear “DJ Despeinada” Bonnie Cisneros. So many, many things to do. It’s all free. We don’t want to charge fees because culture shouldn’t cost fees,” Sánchez explained.

Esperanza’s Día de Muertos celebration takes place on November 1 from 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM at the Rinconcito de Esperanza at 816 S. Colorado.

The altars will remain on display until November 8.

Other events in honor of Día de los Muertos include:

• Mariposas on the Plaza: The event will take place on Friday, November 1 between 7:00 PM and 9:00 PM in Main Plaza. Main Plaza will transform into a community ofrenda. It will feature printed butterflies with names of loved ones. Reserve a butterfly in advance or visit the event.
• Carnival of Los Muertos: URBAN-15’s Día de Los Muertos Procession will take place at Elmendorf Lake Park on Saturday, November 2 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
• Mission Marquee Plaza: The celebration will take place on Saturday, November 2 from 3:00 PM to 10:00 PM. The event will be MC’d by Anthony “The Poet” Flores. Featured artists include San Antonio Poet Laureate Eddie Vega, Gilbert Elementary School student poetry, Destiny Hernandez & Papa Bear, all-female mariachi group Mariachi Las Alteñas, Chayito y Los Flamenco de San Antonio, Tarasco Tropical, Zombie Bazaar Panza Fusion w/Brenda and Gio.
• 47th Annual Exhibition and Celebration of Día de los Muertos: Saturday, November 2, from 12 noon to 5 p.m. There will be a double exhibition: Frank W. Harris III’s Las Catrinas exhibition at Galeria Expresión I and Altares y Ofrendas exhibition at Galeria Expresión II. The event also includes the annual Avenida de los Muertos Arts and Crafts mercadito, live music by Andy Bernal and The Artifax, and student altars by St. Anthony High School’s Spanish class.
• Dia de los Muertos at Pearl: Saturday, November 2 is Pearl’s annual celebration from 5 to 9 p.m. It includes altars, live music, art installations and children’s activities.
• Emma Tenayuca ofrenda: The San Antonio Museum of Art features an ofrenda in the Great Hall. The altar was designed by Amalia Mesa-Bains to honor Emma Tenayuca, a San Antonian labor and civil rights activist known for her central role in the Pecan Shellers Strike of 1938.