Students, faculty, staff and the community can celebrate Day of the Dead this week, to honor and remember loved ones who have died. “Dia de los Muertos” will be from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Nov. 1 in Room 209 in Classroom Hall and 6-8:30 p.m. Nov. 2 in Room 223 in the Central Academic Building.
The Mexican American Student Association at Texas A&M University-San Antonio is hosting its free annual celebration.
There will be food, music, crafts to make marigold bracelets, candlelight, mariachis and the movie “Coco,” said Hayde Gonzalez Cejas, president of MASA at A&M-San Antonio. The movie is sponsored by Student Life Organization Director Emily Banda.
“It brings together MASA since everyone comes from very diverse backgrounds,” Cejas said. “We appreciate our culture that we don’t get to see around the U.S. and not just Texas or San Antonio. It brings us together and that is something very important to me.”
A special guest from Nuestra Gente will speak about the importance of Dia de los Muertos. Founded by Bernadette Pena, Nuestra Gente is “a visual representation of storytelling from one generation to the next,” according to the website of Miella Media, which founded Nuestra Gente: A Tribute to Hispanic Innovators and Dreamers. Nuestra Gente is a series of photographs in which children portray cultural icons in the Hispanic community. The exhibit is displayed at A&M-San Antonio in Classroom Hall first floor.
Members of MASA began setting up the altar Oct. 30 in the lobby of CAB.
The altar is displayed for three days with pictures, statues, skulls and a Virgin Mary to symbolize the departed.
Cejas says the altar is open to anyone who would like to place an item for their loved ones. MASA will be placing an informational sticker on the back of the items so that they are aware of who it belongs to.
“We are really excited, and I know this is a big event for MASA and me and my team, the officers are just working really hard, we always talk about it in the officer meetings we have, and I really want it to go well,” said Cejas.
Anyone interested in joining can reach out to Cejas at vgonz067@jaguar.tamu.edu or visit the Student Life Office Room 104F in CAB A&M-San Antonio.
To RSVP, visit the event’s JagSync page: https://tamusa.campuslabs.com/engage/event/9515408.
For more information, message MASA through Instagram @masa.tamusa or Facebook: Mexican American Student Association at Texas A&M University-San Antonio. Students can also call 210-876-4848.
