Citlalli Vergara

This altar is dedicated to my grandparents (from left to right): Victor Manuel Vergara Ochoa, Julia Velazquez Vences, and Ricardo Hernandez Hernandez. I never really got to meet them, but I was honored to get to learn more about them through this journey I’ve embarked on. I honor them this year because of the love my family has for them and because I can’t wait to continue to learn more about them on a spiritual level.

The stairs symbolize that they are up in the afterlife. Therefore, the candles on the aisle are there to light their way back to our world so that they can accept our offerings to them, and then eventually the candles will lead them back to the after world. The three candles behind the cross represent the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I grew up in a Catholic household, so I wanted to incorporate it with the cross and three candles.

The sugar is in honor of my paternal grandparents. In their pueblo, they owned a paleteria where they would make paletas of all different kinds. I can imagine them taking that sugar with them and making paletas for all the other souls in the afterworld. I can imagine them reuniting with my other ancestors and drinking a sweet cup of coffee with them while sharing stories of when they were alive. The chiles are there so that my grandparents can enjoy some spicy food in the afterworld. I can imagine my grandfathers taking the chiles and putting them in their menudo to spice it up. I can imagine my grandmother making a salsa for the entire family as they enjoy a plate of carne asada with rice and beans. It makes me smile to imagine them all together enjoying each other’s company and I am proud to present this altar for this year’s Día de los Muertos.