SAN ANTONIO – A UTSA course is diving deep into the history of Day of the Dead and created an exhibit at the Institute of Texan Cultures in downtown.
“Learning about ofrenda, how each layer symbolizes something different, you know, it brings you a new perspective. You know what the history is,” Ricardo Ayala, a UTSA student said.
Ayala is part of the UTSA Honors College Day of the Dead seminar class that created the space.
“Throughout the weeks of September, we started planning and knowing what we wanted and what we wanted to exhibit. So like the cemetery, the tree of life, and of course the ofrenda,” Ayala said.
The students built an altar, known as an ofrenda, and other traditional elements for the exhibit at the Institute of Texan Cultures called, “Recuerdos Eternos: A Journey Back Home.”
Professor Alegra Lozano says it is the fifth year the university has offered the seminar class that teaches about the Day of the Dead.
“And it’s all about the history, the commercialization and the globalization, the rise in popularity. But it’s also about death, dying and grieving and the perspective of it through the lens of Day of the Dead,” Lozano said.
Lozano said the class is having an impact on students.
“A lot of students have made comments to me that it has really changed their kind of perspective and changed their life. Several students have said now that they are more engaged and practice it more on a yearly basis,” Lozano said.