2023 Día de los Muertos

Join us for our 5th Annual Día de los Muertos at Glendale Community College!

El Dia de los Muertos, is a Mexican holiday, is when families welcome back the spirits of their departed loved ones for a brief reunion involving food, drink, and celebration. The celebration is observed every year from October 31 to November 2.

Free Tamales and Pan De Muertos

For Questions or Accommodations contact
Anthony Garcia at anthonyg@glendale.edu or 818-240-1000 ext 5810

Día de los Muertos Face Painting
SC 212 from 11:30am-2pm

Enjoy complimentary face painting or calaveras (or skulls) much in the likeness of la calavera de azucar or sugar skulls. Calaveras during Dia de los Muertos represent those who have passed and are often found on the altar as a sugar skull. In some indigenous traditions, the skulls of the deceased were preserved to be placed on the altar and others wore masks as a closing ceremony sending the spirits back. The altar as well as the skulls placed on them, hold different colors that represent different elements, journeys, and cardinal points.

Día de los Muertos Lecture

Presenter: Dr. Claudia Garcia-Des Lauriers
12:30pm-1:30pm
SC 212

Biography: Claudia Garcia-Des Lauriers studies the ancient cultures of Mesoamerica that flourished before European contact, how cultures have endured incredible change over time and what it reveals about the incredible resilience of the people in the past. Dr. Garcia-Des Lauriers directs the Proyecto Arqueológico Los Horcones in Chiapas, Mexico where she has been investigating the complex relationships between the local regional center and the great metropolis of Teotihuacan. She has uncovered evidence of economic and ideological connections that speak to the importance of Los Horcones as a gateway community that controlled important trade routes on the Pacific Coast of Chiapas, Mexico. An important part of her practice is engaging with the living communities in her project areas so that everyone is learning and contributing to the production of this knowledge.

Tlecoatl Aztec Dancers

SC 212 from 1:30pm-2pm

Aztec Fire Dancers is named such because of Aztec (Mexicah) traditions come from the neighborhood of Tlacopan (today known as Tacuba) in Mexico City. Faculty and staff will witness the tradition of “Aztec Dancing” or La Danza Azteca from the dancers’ hometown Tlacopan (Tacuba) and its importance in Aztec (Mexicah) ceremonies throughout Mexico today. Faculty and staff will be able to witness the dances that represent the timeless splendor of the Mexicah culture. Through these dances, Mexicah ancestors and the indigenous legacy are honored and the conservation of historical and cultural Mexicah identities. The splendor of the Aztec (Mexicah) peoples is alive and well and not an imagination from the past.

ALL EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE COMMUNITY

These programs are brought to you by the Multicultural and Community Engagement Center, Cultural Diversity, and sponsored by Student Equity and Achievement