By Lauryn Jelsema, Aquinas reporter
Nov. 1 and 2 mark Día de los Muertos. This year, Aquinas Campus Ministry let the Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity (CDI&E) set up an ofrenda, inviting students and staff to contribute photos of loved ones. The ofrenda was displayed in the Chapel from Oct. 31 to Nov. 8.
The altar after its initial set up in the Chapel – Photo by Esperanza Garcia
Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a 700-year-old tradition rooted in the Mexican season of Miccaihuitl. It was a time for the Aztecs to celebrate harvests and honor ancestors. When Spanish conquistadors arrived in Mexico, they combined All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day with Miccaihuitl, creating the Día de los Muertos, which is known today.
Día de los Muertos is often celebrated in central and southern Mexico, but is also observed in areas of the U.S. with large Mexican-American populations. Families create altars to honor loved ones, offering special items, praying, and sharing stories, thereby celebrating lives rather than mourning.
Esperanza Garcia, Student Engagement Coordinator for the Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity, helped arrange the altar at the Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Chapel. The display consisted of bright marigolds, colorful paper garland, bread loaves and various Hispanic prayer candles. She said that the organization’s goal with the altar is to provide the AQ community with an opportunity to commemorate the holiday, as well as offer people the chance to learn about Catholic traditions they may not be familiar with.
“Campus Ministry allows us to use the space to be able to showcase this Mexican Catholic tradition that has origins that tie to the indigenous Mexica community of Mexico,” said Garcia.
This tradition at Aquinas began when the Latinx Student Association (LXSA) set up an ofrenda for Día de los Muertos in the prayer room. In 2023, the Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity (CDIE), with the support of Campus Ministry, took over organizing and relocated the ofrenda to the chapel’s main area.
The altar served as a touching sentiment, prompting those visiting the chapel to reflect on life and the meaning of the holiday.
The Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Chapel – Photo by Aquinas College
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