JagBytes

Issue date: 10/24/07 Section: Art & Culture

Media Credit: Tania Banegas El Día de los Muertos is a Mexican ritual honoring the dead. Altars are made to represent things the person liked in life.

When Spanish conquistadors landed in Mexico more than 500 years ago, they discovered the natives practiced a ritual that seemed to tease death. El Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a ritual the indigenous people practiced at least 3,000 years before the arrival of the conquistadors.

The Indianapolis Art Center is celebrating this ancient ritual with the eighth annual exhibition of El Día de los Muertos. The Center is also featuring the work of many local artists. The celebration comes in reaction to the rapid growth of the Hispanic community in Indianapolis.

"It [the celebration] connects people of all walks of life. Through this tradition we are able to say to everyone, 'think about how you would honor someone who has passed away," said Laura Alvarado, director of outreach at the Indianapolis Art Center.

The exhibition, which is now open to the public, mainly consists of altars and outdoor shrines. Artists and local groups create the altars in memory of someone who has passed on.

The altars and shrines include different elements like skulls, pictures, food, water, candles, and flowers. Each element represents what that individual liked best when he or she lived.

Traditionally in Mexico, relatives go to the cemetery to clean up and bring flowers. In general, the exhibition represents what can be found at home and also at the cemetery.

This year's big celebration will take place on Saturday, Oct.27 and will feature national and local entertainment. The work of Rosa Maria Díes, a printmaker, will be displayed among the altars. Miguel Angel Quintana, a fourth-generation sugar skull artist from Puebla, Mexico will speak about skull traditions in his family and in Mexico.

The celebration will also feature folkloric music and dance from Sones de México, Mariachi Sol Jaliscience and No Exit Performance Company.

Visitors can enjoy authentic Mexican Food by Adobo Grill and sweet tamales provided by Tamale Place.

Traditional items from Mexico and Latin America will be for sale, including handbags created by artists from the Handbags for Healing organization. The items and handbags sold at this year's celebration are designed to raise awareness and financial support of Day of the Dead programming for next year.

For more information about the Indianapolis Art Center activities visit http://www.indplsartcenter.org.

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