AP Spanish visited Pilsen to visit the National Museum of Mexican Art as they learn the history behind the celebration of Día de los muertos (day of the dead).
Tour guide Mario Hernandez took students though the entrance of all the colorful-vibrant art pieces that incorporates the remembrance of Día de los Muertos and talked about how it’s been celebrated throughout the years.
“The museum made me feel connected to my roots in Mexico, there was one specific piece that really caught my attention which was where my parents grew up; Guerrero that explains the story of the Aztecs,” Palatine junior Theresa Cortez said.
Not only did the museum talk about the history of how Día de los Muertos is celebrated, but also allowed students to feel connected with their culture as they learned that the day of the dead originated in Michocán, Mexico. They learned of the rituals that the Aztecs believed in and learning about the iconic figure “La Catrina” who is a skeletal lady that is a symbolic image for representing Day of the Dead, specifically for Mexicans.
These stories have continued being an influence for the Latino community that have brought joy to continue celebrating as they remember their loved ones who have passed away and honoring them with ofrendas in their household and being seen as a creative piece.
“My favorite part about visiting the National Museum of Mexican Art would be all the ofrendas that were laid out and how different each of them were, but all had a special meaning to the creator who did it,” Palatine junior Nary Melesio said.
Ofrendas have been a long-standing tradition in Mexican culture, serving to families to honor their dead relatives. As they display pictures, food, and cempasúchil flower petals sprinkled around. The families that celebrate get to become creative and have now gotten a chance to be seen throughout the museum.
“I would say the majority of our students who take AP are Latinos,” AP Spanish teacher Lizbeth Arreola said. “So I definitely wanted our students to really see a glimpse of that museum because I know a lot of them had never been. And also that museum is in Pilsen which is like a predominantly Latino community, so there’s like a lot of culture.”
The National Museum of Mexican Art gave the AP Spanish students an opportunity to appreciate the art that was displayed. Each art piece had a special meaning as students learned about Day of the Dead and some students even got to feel more connected with their culture.
