La Casita hosted its annual Día de los Muertos event on Nov. 2 on the patio outside its cultural center in the Loker Student Union. The intention of this year’s celebration was La Tierra Recuerda, which means “The Land Remembers” in Spanish.
The event featured special performances from the East Los Angeles-based performance group Danza Azteca Xochipilli. Founded in 1987, the indigenous community group offers education in Mexican history and culture through authentic music, storytelling, and dance.
Kamil Prewitt-Cruz, program director of La Casita, told The Bulletin that it was important for this year’s event to honor the struggle of those who were killed while protecting their lands and homes.
“We wanted to be a living relation that we acknowledge as something that sustains us,” Prewitt-Cruz said. “We want to honor and remember the lives of indigenous people that were murdered, defending their ancestral territories.”
Día de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, is a Mexican national holiday honoring the souls of deceased loved ones. The commemoration blends aspects of Mesoamerican ritual, European religion, and Spanish culture.
While the holiday may include imagery of skulls and skeletons, Prewitt-Cruz was quick to emphasize the holiday is a sacred tradition in Mexican culture and completely unrelated to Halloween. The holiday, Prewitt-Cruz explained, recognizes the eternal bond between the living and the dead.
“To have a space where students feel they have support because there are people who understand while also making your culture visible to you,” said Moises Nogales Jaramillo, La Casita’s program and activities lead. “It makes you feel like you’re at home and that there is a second space.”
Jaramillo echoed Prewitt-Cruz, saying the prominence of artificial intelligence and the development of data centers across the United States is cause for several concerns.
Jaramillo said the infrastructure required to power modern technology often diminishes local natural resources. Through this year’s event, he said, La Casita aimed to highlight the social and environmental impact of these technologies and the toll consumption has on the land.
“There is a lot of beautiful land out here being abused, especially in Mexico and many different regions in Latin America,” Jaramillo told The Bulletin.
Jaramillo said U.S. corporations are interested in Mexico’s natural resources. He explained that the country’s lithium mines are being targeted by electric vehicle manufacturers, and as a result, some Mexican politicians are pushing to nationalize them.
During the event, organizers encouraged attendees to revere the earth as a living family and a witness to modern environmental degradation.
Heather Sandland, a third-year labor studies student who attended the event, told The Bulletin that it was important to show up and honor the loved ones of her peers in the campus community.
“It felt very enriching getting to experience another culture and understand the significance behind it,” Sandland said.
Other attendees emphasized the importance of hosting events such as this one.
Lorena de la Cruz, the Coordinator for Parent Family Programs who attended this event, told The Bulletin that she decided to participate because they invited their parents and families to witness this annual event.
“To have another opportunity for the community to connect to our ancestors who may no longer be here physically is an honor,” de la Cruz said. “By being here together to support each other while remembering our loved ones serves as an important memory.”