Duquesne’s 2023 Day of the Dead Altar will be on display from October 23 through October 31 at Gumberg Library. It is co-sponsored by the Center for Hispanic Studies. The altar was decorated by students in Dr. Laura Gild's Spanish 2 class.
This program aims to contribute to the University's mission in promoting multicultural perspectives and awareness by converging the feeling of being embedded in a Latin American communal celebration with a rewarding experience of learning a new language in a relaxed and fun environment.
Duquesne's 2023 Day of the Dead Altar commemorates these individuals:
Fernando Botero, a Colombian figurative artist and sculptor
Photographic portrait of Colombian artist Fernando Botero, taken by Roel on Dec. 7, 2006 at The Hague, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
Pelé, Brazilian footballer, regarded as one of the best and most popular sports figures of the 20th century.
Pelé in 1970. Public domain.
The Victims of the Maui Wildfire: The wildfire, which began on August 8, killed at least 99 people in the historic resort town of Lahaina.
The aftermath of the wildfire in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii. Paula Ramon—AFP/Getty Images.
The Day of the Dead is an important celebration not only in Mexico but also in other parts of South America. Indigenous Pre-Columbian societies celebrated the dead before the arrival of the Spanish. After their arrival, the celebration was aligned with the Catholic celebrations of All Saints Day (November 1) and All Souls Day (November 2) creating a phenomenon which in anthropology is called religious syncretism. Every region or town celebrating the Day of the Dead does so in their own unique way. In recent times, due to the significant Spanish population in the United Sates, it also has become one of the most popular festivities for Hispanic and non-Hispanic communities in some states.
