The Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanx de Aztlán (MEChA) de Georgetown, an undergraduate Latine student organization at Georgetown, hosted its annual Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration Nov. 2.
The celebration, which took place on Harbin Patio, honored the Mexican holiday that celebrates families’ ancestors. During this holiday, families welcome back the souls of their deceased loved ones with heartfelt commemorations, which include offerings of their loved ones’ favorite foods, photographs and personal time spent in remembrance.
Betsabe Belen Alfaro (CAS ’25), MEChA’s co-marketing director, said she was amazed at the event’s success.
“The event turnout was incredible,” Belen Alfaro told The Hoya. “Harbin’s patio was filled with laughter, music and singing. Our hearts were so full.”
The Day of the Dead celebration gives Latine students a chance to embrace and share their culture within Georgetown’s student body.
Jasmine Alas-Castillo (CAS ’25), an attendee, said that celebrating Día de los Muertos has helped her explore the diversity within Latine culture, even as a Salvadoran-American student.
“My family is Salvadoran, so we didn’t celebrate Day of the Dead,” Alas-Castillo told The Hoya. “The first time I ever celebrated it was with MEChA.”
Alas-Castillo reflected on her recent Día de los Muertos celebration, saying it was inspired by her introduction to the tradition through MEChA’s previous Day of the Dead events.
“This year I decided to make an altar for the first time at my home,” Alas-Castillo told The Hoya. “And I brought my friends together who are not Latino, and it was really cute. I kept a piece of the marigold that I used on the first altar with MEChA, and so we put up a little piece of marigold from the first time that I celebrated.”
The celebration included an ofrenda, or offering, adorned with photos of students’ loved ones who had passed, marigold flowers and strings of papel picado, which symbolize the fragility of life.
Additionally, the celebration included an array of traditional Mexican cuisines like tamales, chocolate Abuelita, Jarritos, pan dulce and the traditional Day of the Dead bread, pan de muerto.
Josh Anderson (CAS ’25), another attendee, said the Día de los Muertos celebration helps educate the wider Georgetown community about the unique cultural practices of Latine students.
“I think it’s really beautiful,” Anderson told The Hoya. “Being on this predominantly white campus, it’s a powerful statement about community. Seeing Latinos come together with dance, music and food for such a meaningful occasion is truly incredible.”
Inés Molina (CAS ’25), a co-director of Ballet Folklórico Mexicano de Georgetown, a student-run dance group dedicated to Mexican dance and culture that performed at the event, said the celebration displayed the importance of showcasing students’ culture.
“A thing about Mexicans as a whole is that we love our culture, and we want to stick to it very near and dear to our hearts but also try to share it with the rest of the students,” Molina told The Hoya. “And I think we do a good job, especially with events like this one. Showcasing our culture, what we have to offer and welcoming people in.”
“It is really nice to be able to bond with each other, especially on meaningful holidays like Día de los Muertos,” Molina said. “Which can and should be recharging, especially when life is hard and challenging. And events like this help us reconnect. It means a lot to me.”
Alas-Castillo said it is important to celebrate cultural traditions like the Day of the Dead.
“It really demonstrates the beauty,” Alas-Castillo said. “Often people don’t understand the cultural references or the beauty that is inherent within a lot of Latino cultures, and I feel like this is the most inherent expression of them, in a really deep way. It’s very colorful, it’s very bold and it’s very joyous.”
