Mary Del Angel

My altar is dedicated and inspired by my grandma. Growing up, I only heard stories of my mom’s mom. She passed away when my mom was only 14. She didn’t grow up with a mother and it has made me grateful to have been able to be raised by my mom. I first began to imagine my altar after having a few conversations. While talking to my mom, I was able to gather certain details about my grandma that I never knew before. One of those things being that she used to celebrate Dia De Los Muertos every year. My mom just never carried on the tradition. I asked my mom to describe to me how her altar looked and what she had. My mom also made it a point to tell me that her mom loved to cook. Dia De Los Muertos gave her an excuse to cook for not only her family but for her neighbors too. My grandma would have food like tamales, coffee, hot chocolate, and conchas as well as religious symbols on her altar. So I took note and pinned it for later installation. I really wanted to incorporate the various mediums that I do on the side such as photography and creative writing. I wanted the altar to be a fusion of my interests and of my grandma’s.

I went to great lengths to try to find nice fabric to lay on the altar and borrowed a lace tablecloth from home. Once I was able to gather the appropriate cloth, I was ready to construct the altar. The altar is made from a small coffee table that was given to me by my housemates and with two boxes to make the steps of it. I put the lace tablecloth on the top because it seemed appropriate. I was also able to construct a cornhusk doll to act as a standstill for an image of my grandma. My mom grew up poor and they were never able to buy a camera, so getting a picture was difficult. I do hold out hope one day to be able to find a photo somehow. On the first layer, I have two prayer candles, one with the image of Guadalupe and the other of Saint Michael which I read is meant to protect the church and its values. I then brought back with me an old picture of the Virgen De Guadalupe that my family has had for years. I then put some flowers that I bought locally that I made sure had sunflowers since those were on my grandma’s altar too. I also have my crystals from Canada that all seep protection, love, and good energy from their respective qualities. I also cut up some marigold flowers and put them in the front as a sort of colorful boundary. On the top layer, I also put two pictures. One of San Francisco and the other of Ventura. For me, taking photos means capturing a moment and by looking at it, being able to be transported back to that moment frozen in time. In my head, I think my grandma when she crosses over, can use these photos to see the city that she’s always wanted to see and of my home. I also wrote a letter of things that I would say to her if she was here, physically.  As we move to the second layer, I put some pots, pans, and some food. The pots and pans represent her love for cooking and her love for her family. For her, cooking was a sign of affection and love. So, I wanted to put those there to represent that aspect of her. On the plate, I have conchas and tamales. Two of my favorite things and hers too. I lastly put down Abuelita hot chocolate. Both for the name and because she loved having hot chocolate on her altar. The third layer has three things. A mug for her beverages, a camera, and a photo of Wheeler. I wanted to put a camera there to represent the lack of cameras and photos that my grandma had. Hopefully now, there can be a surplus in some sense. I also wanted to show my grandma UC Berkeley because for me, it is something my family is proud of and something my grandma dreamed of. So, hopefully she can see a glimpse of it. 

Lastly, I wanted to have my own words and imagined encounters to be a part of the altar. This required me to write creatively that I rarely do nowadays. I wrote two little stories and one poem. The stories detailing the struggles between my mom and I as mother and daughter as well as how our various identities impacted our relationship. Then trying to unpack my mom’s relationship with her mom. Both again hitting at the theme of identity, loss, and religion. The poem is also a sort of letter to my grandma. Of what I can imagine our relationship could’ve been like. All in all, the altar came together better than I expected and I had a fun time gathering the materials as well as coming up with ideas to make it stand out.