Photographs, marigolds and favorite treats carried a simple message Saturday at Global Water: “Te recuerdo.” I remember you.
Residents gathered Oct. 24 for an ofrenda celebration honoring Día de los Muertos, the Mexican holiday that keeps the memory of departed loved ones present through food, art and family traditions.
An altar of memories
At the heart of the celebration is the ofrenda, a temporary altar decorated with photographs and offerings for those who have died. Inside Global Water, residents from across Maricopa contributed pictures and mementos to a community display.
Ofrendas can include levels representing heaven and earth, with each offering carrying meaning. Marigolds and candles help guide spirits home. Water quenches their thirst. Sugar skulls acknowledge death as part of life, while pan de muerto, a traditional sweet bread, joins favorite foods left in remembrance.
Families typically assemble their displays in late October ahead of Día de los Muertos observances Nov. 1 and 2.
Food, art and family traditions
Saturday’s gathering made room for the living, too.
Vendors offered pottery, books and trinkets, while food trucks served tamales, tacos and pupusas. Children painted and decorated sugar skull cookies.
Homestead mural artist Mecca Hunter invited residents to help paint a scene featuring luchadores, or Mexican wrestlers. Hunter has made art throughout her life and spent the past five years building her mural business.
Exploring the paranormal
For visitors interested in exploring the supernatural beyond the holiday, Sara Carroll introduced Paranormal Journeys, a new Maricopa group.
“We’re starting a new group here in Maricopa to explore new experiences. We’re hoping to get some interest here in Maricopa, build a community for people who like paranormal things and have a place to express that,” Carroll said.
Her plans include paranormal movie nights, tea and tarot readings with Adriana Sheehan, tea leaf readings, tailgates, discussions and paranormal investigations.
Those explorations may seek answers about what comes after death. Saturday’s ofrenda offered something more tangible: photographs, favorite foods and memories that still have a place among the living.
