(Michaela Helean/Observer)

 

The South Valley’s Gutiérrez Hubble House hosted it’s annual Muertos y Marigolds celebration and parade on Saturday, Nov. 6.

Muertos y Marigolds is a Dia de los Muertos tradition in the South Valley.

While Day of the Dead is generally from Nov. 1, 2, the Marigold parade adds to it by involving the community.

The tradition of celebrating the dead has been around for thousands of years and is a cultural part of Mexican heritage in New Mexico.

Read the Observer’s Day of the Dead article here.

It was a public event with dozens of people roaming the square with made-up faces and intricate costumes.

Outdoors, there was music and dancing, while others painted glass and ate street tacos from the food trucks nearby.

People could look in on the museum and see especially made ofrendas in each room.

While the celebration is over, people can still go to the museum to see the ofrendas on display until Nov. 12.

The mission of the South Valley Dia de Los Muertos Celebration & Marigold Parade, according to the website, include the following:

  • To exert cultural self-determination,
  • To strengthen community,
  • To promote cultural exchange through inter-generational learning and expression through art, music, food, dance and political satire.
  • To promote pride in South Valley cultural identity through our grassroots, non-corporate organizing.