Fernando Rivera
When I began taking this class I was unsure of the subject and materials that we would be covering. An “altar” as a class project had was mentioned which interested me, because coincidentally I wanted to set one up with my family this year. I have seen how different cultures view the subject of death in that some cultures tend to view the subject as taboo and rarely speak on the subject. I have taken notice how in Mexico for example when they celebrate Dia de los Muertos, they not only celebrate their relatives who have passed on, but speak of death as a transition between spiritual plains and is a part of life. I feel that it was more than a class project about the interpretation death, perhaps the unity and cherished memories that we make with our families. When setting up the altar I had help from my children, my wife and my mother on the placement of items and colors schemes. That is when I felt the moment of unity and memories when I was working with them on the altar. Setting up my altar with my family gave me those feelings that I had when I was younger that I shared with my father and grandmother. Now that I am a father, I feel that this is what the project of the altar is about, family and the life we live together and the memories we make with one another. I see the concentration on my wife’s face as she wraps a bottle with yarn or the smiles on my daughters faces as the paint the skulls with detail and creative patterns (they both got paint on the kitchen table but i wasn't mad). This is what I would like to leave to my children, so as they get older they can pass it to the next generation as to remember their heritage of their ancestors. I am not sure what awaits us when we leave this world and cross over to the next, and we leave behind those physical possessions we acquire in life? I do feel that it is those memories we make with our loved ones in life, are the possessions we take with us on our eternal journey into the afterlife.
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