Dia de Muertos festivities
Past Events at the Center -- Dia de Muertos
Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a holiday celebrated in many parts of the world, typically in early November. It is a very
old holiday originating with the first Spanish contact with the Aztec people in Mexico. Inspite it's morbid name, it is a festive
occassion and fun for the entire family.
Part of Día de Muertos at the Center included various arts and crafts workshops.
Children in attendance had fun making items for the "muertos alter," such as skulls, candles and decorations to honor the dead
and remember the family.
Día de Muertos festivities were sponsored by the Center, El Camino Real International Heritage
Center Foundation, and New Mexico Humanities Council.
Click on photos to enlarge
The Día de Muertos "altar" contained many decorations and items traditional to the centuries old festivities. Some of the items were
made by the children in attendance. (The children particularly liked decorating the skulls!)
The cries of La Llorona filled the Center's auditorium as a full room listened to the stories.
The faces of La Llorona . . .
as portrayed by actress and story-teller Rosalia De Aragon
For a newspaper article on the history and heritage of "The Legend of La Llorona," click here (244K PDF)
Everyone in attendance enjoyed the theatrical story-telling performance of Rosalia De Aragon as La Llorona - the wailing woman. Aragon captivated the audience with the famous Spanish ghost legend of La Llorona. Known throughout the world for her eerie, spine-chilling
cries, La Llorona has been seen, and heard, for centuries as she searches for her loved ones. Aragon's performance demonstrated
the legend still lives in many New Mexico communities with her excellent story telling skills - and convincing La Llorona cries.
