Faculty, staff, and students at Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences contributed more than thirty photographs and small offerings to build a community ofrenda for Día de Muertos, a Mexican holiday commemorating the return and living presence of passed loved ones each year at the end of October and the beginning of November. One common ritual to commemorate Día de Muertos is constructing an ofrenda, a colorful altar of photographs and tributes to lost loved ones to invoke memory. An ofrenda derives from the Spanish verb Ofrendar or “to offer.” “To offer (Ofrendar), on the Day of the Dead, is to share with the deceased bread, salt, fruits, culinary delicacies, water, and, if they are adults, wine. Offering is to be close to our dead to dialogue with your memory, with your life. The offering is the reunion with a ritual that summons memory,” explains the Instituto Nacional de los Pueblos Indígenas. (1)

Ask any person who contributed to the Wilkinson community ofrenda, and they will probably agree that spending time with the altar quickly summons a combination of powerful memories, both painful and joyous.

“I shared a photo of my graduate school mentor, Ben Agger. I miss his intellect, humor, and conviction,” said Ashley Kranjac (Sociology).

Building an ofrenda is an act of being in the company of the dead by engaging in dialogues with our memories. These dialogues can leave people feeling incredibly vulnerable, especially within cultural contexts where mortality is something we are conditioned to turn away from. After a short period of wakes, funerals, and other ceremonies, mourners feel pressured to return to life as normal, concealing feelings of grief beneath layers of shame, choosing only to engage with painful memories in isolation. And yet, building a community ofrenda brings the act of grieving into public life, allowing others to see the potent significance behind our losses. It balances the sober reality of living with loss with the hopeful reminder that memory and grief are the means of keeping lost loved ones alive. To Ofrendar in-community is to recognize the strength that comes with carrying the memory of others inside as we continue to live and encounter each other.

“On the ofrenda are photos of my mom, my husband, and my sister. I miss them dearly and think about them every day. When I was given the opportunity to include them in the ofrenda, it made me happy to honor them,” said Laura Silva (Wilkinson Dean’s Office).

Día de Muertos is a contemporary holiday with indigenous roots in the pre-colonial Americas. It blends various indigenous ancestral beliefs and traditions with the practices and imagery of Catholicism. The holiday holds a strong spiritual significance for many, as well as a powerful secular significance for many others. Regardless, Día de Muertos is an acknowledgment of humanity’s interconnectedness with the Earth through the celebration of the maize harvest. Maize (corn) has been in Mesoamerican cultivation for thousands of years. Writing on the Mayan roots of Día de Muertos, Mapuche-indigenous scholar Dr. Geraldine Patrick explains that the “intimate corn-human relation is kept alive by reflecting how death and birth cycles are interwoven. When the corn seed is interred, it is as though a dead human is buried. When, at the closing of the season, corn cobs are fully ripe, it is as if the dead person surfaces to join the living.” (2)

Evidently, the practices surrounding Día de Muertos and the Mesoamerican Autumn harvest have evolved constantly throughout the years. Yet, the significance of invoking the memory of our ancestors and the nature of our impermanence remains the same.

“I was lucky enough to know two of my great-grandparents very closely. They have each passed away during my time in college and the final memories I have with them are as a Chapman student. Being able to honor their memories at my University by walking past their photos on an Ofrenda outside my office feels like honoring the legacy they have gifted me. Without their work, I wouldn’t be able to be at Chapman today. I’m grateful for the space that my boss, Dani, provided so that all of us in the department can remember together those that have left us and still mean so much,” said Hailey Bunsold (Sociology major, Political Science & Peace Studies minor).

The Wilkinson community ofrenda is located on the 2nd floor of Roosevelt Hall, near the Sociology Department front desk. It will be on display through the beginning of next week on Monday, November 4th.

1: Translated from Spanish by author, INPI | Instituto Nacional de los Pueblos Indígenas | 23 de octubre de 2019, “Conoces el significado de los elementos de una ofrenda de Día de Muertos?”

2: Geraldine Patrick | Center for Earth Ethics | November 15, 2017, “The Return of the Dead in Mayan Tradition”