Students from two Minatare schools are working on projects to celebrate Día de los Muertos, a holiday celebrated in Mexico and other Latin American countries.
The effort is being led by Christopher Guadarrama, who teaches Spanish at Minatare High School and Minatare Elementary.
Both schools are building order in celebration of the holiday, which is dedicated to remembering and honoring loved ones who have passed.
“What we’re making is an altar,” Guadarrama said. “‘Ofrenda’ means offering, so it’s an offering to our loved ones who are no longer here.”
The offerings being built at Minatare this year are larger and more involved than those created by students in years past. Instead of each student building their own offering using a shoebox, students built a large altar to decorate with all their memories of loved ones.
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Guadarrama said that the project at the high school has become even more than he thought and its importance has gone beyond the walls of the school.
“This has been a community project,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of help from the parents of the students, so this whole altar — both of them actually — is a reflection not only of the students, but of the whole Miner community.”
Guadarrama tries to integrate lessons on Mexican and Latin American culture into his Spanish curriculum. In September, his classes reflected on Mexican independence. After Día de los Muertos, he aims to teach the students some traditional family activities, like playing the loteria, which he describes as a Mexican game of BINGO, and making tamales.
“As a Spanish teacher, you want the culture to be reflected, not just the language,” he said.
Día de los Muertos makes a great cultural lesson for students, and Guadarrama is able to add stories of his life and family to it.
“To me, it’s a big deal,” he said. “My family in Mexico would always do things like this, have an altar. Traditionally, you go to the cemetery and put things there at the grave site. It’s a great cultural connection for the classroom.”
Día de los Muertos traditionally takes place from Nov. 1 to Nov. 2, but Guadarrama said that in the United States it often begins on or around Halloween. Those who observe it will build altars in their homes just like the ones Minatare’s students are building.
“My grandparents here actually make their own altar in their house, which is very beautiful,” he said.
Guadarrama joined his students to make a personal contribution to the offering at the high school. He believes that inclusion impresses students and makes them feel more comfortable sharing their memories of loved ones who have passed.
“I put mine there too,” he said. “I think kids really gravitate to you getting involved in things too.”
There are many finishing touches yet to be added to the high school offering, including papel picado and an image of the Virgin Mary.
The elementary school took a slightly different approach, focusing their thinking on four historical figures important to Latin American culture: recording artist Selena, baseball player Roberto Clemente, artist Frida Kahlo, and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez. .
Both orders will be moved to the Western Nebraska Arts Center next week and will be displayed alongside altars created by other schools to celebrate Dia de los Muertos.
Guadarrama said he thinks depictions of Latin American culture in the media have helped elevate holidays like Día de los Muertos to a level of popularity they’ve never had before.
“Día de los Muertos is becoming a big holiday now,” he said. “When I was in high school, it wasn’t that big of a deal.”
Guadarrama specifically cited recent Disney films “Coco” and “Encanto” as examples of helping a young audience learn about Latin American culture.
“Movies help younger kids understand that,” he said. “I think it is a strong and powerful movement. A lot of people see it as a day to celebrate, which it is.”
