By: BHS News Staff
November 1, 2022
The History of Dia de los Muertos (translates to the Day of the Dead) originated from the Aztec custom of celebrating ancestors of the All Souls Day, a holiday that Spanish invaders brought to Mexico, starting in the early 1500s. It is celebrated on the first and second days of November and has been for many centuries.
The Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday where families welcome back the souls of their deceased relatives for a brief reunion that includes food, drinks, music, and reflection.
The Catrina skull represents the Day of the Dead, and it is also a reminder to enjoy life and to embrace mortality. Men and women wear these skull faces when celebrating, and this unique type of makeup has become very popular.
Students from Mrs. Holko’s AP Spanish class and Mr. Kaspar’s Murals class joined together to represent their knowledge and appreciation for Dia de los Muertos.
The students found inspiration to recreate their own Catrina skulls from Walt Disney’s popular and relatively-recent movie, Coco.
In doing so, students in Mr. Kaspar’s class were placed into groups of four with the goal of designing a skull template; each had their own role. There was an artist, model, photographer, and presenter.
“Working cooperatively between grades and working with different skill sets has helped gather groups together. Groups did research on the Catrina skull, and they finalized their sketches. Students were given the opportunity to look in the prop room for accessories,” stated Mr. Kaspar.
Mrs. Holko added, “Our project is teaching students the history and culture of Dia de los Muertos. They’ve learned that it’s not a dress-up Halloween tradition but more of a respect for culture.”
Both classes plan on getting together every year going forward to celebrate and acknowledge the beautiful history behind Dia de los Muertos.
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THE RETURN OF THE EYE 