Long before the Disney movie “Coco” helped popularize Día de los Muertos, the Dallas-based Indigenous dance group Mitotiliztli Yaoyollohtli has been inviting the community to a sacred ceremony that honors the dead.
For 25 years, director Evelio Flores has opened up his Oak Cliff home to commemorate the holiday, which dates back centuries — long before the colonization of Mexico by the Spaniards in the 1500s.
More than 50 community members gathered at the patio at Flores’ home Wednesday for the annual ceremony. The celebration was multigenerational – from elderly to newborn. The members of the group call themselves danzantes. Musicians kept rhythm on drums and sang in Nahuatl — an indigenous language in Mexico — and the smell of copal incense filled the air.
Natalia Luna, whose family is among the danzantes, described the ceremony as a safe place with friends.
“It feels like a day of prayer for the whole heart,” she said.
At the center of the ceremony was the community altar, which had the photos of loved ones brought in by community members.
“These are the folks that are either family or friends that we want to remember, that we want to make sure that we're carrying their name," said Alexandra Hernandez, a ceremonial dancer for the group.
The altar had several different layers and elements — symbols from the Mesoamerican tradition and Mexico, said Hernandez. The salt represents the earth; the candles represent fire; and the element of water is for the deceased on their journey.
“We believe that during these days, the veil ... that separates our ancestors from us, it's thinner, and they can come visit us," said Almendra Martinez, one of the danzantes and singers.
“I think and then in these ways, we believe that our ancestors, they're not just gone, but they walk with us, you know, And that's the way we live forever.”
Martinez, who sang in Nahuatl during the ceremony, said she’s been told that singing connects the soul to the ancestors. When you sing, she said, you are singing back to years past.
Yolimitzi Arellano, who is 17, has been attending the ceremony since she was born.
"Even though I do have different beliefs than my parents, it still does honor the fact that we have had loved ones that passed away,” she said. “And they're very important to us. It shows that they're never truly gone.”
While it’s not known exactly what took place centuries ago, Hernandez said keeping these traditions alive is important. “It is our responsibility to preserve the teachings as our teachers have taught us and the teachers before them,” she said.
Regardless if people participate or not, she said she hopes it continues to bring awareness.
“I think it's important that we continue to share so that we can continue to create a world that understands, even if they don't celebrate, and appreciates other cultures,” she said.
Celebrations of Day of the Dead continue all over the world through Nov. 2.
Priscilla Rice is KERA’s communities reporter. Got a tip? Email her at price@kera.org.
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