Pricellia Ortez

When I thought about my grandparents, I thought about their fight. My grandfather was a sailor; he was in the navy and was proud to serve. I wanted to place some of his favorite items here that represent him and my grandmother. My grandparents loved turtles; growing up as a kid and visiting their house, I would always see the turtles in paintings or in figurines that they had. The turtles hugging on my altar is the one that my grandpa had in his room. I believe he got this after my grandmother passed away and left this near her side of the bed. Later on, I decided that I was going o keep this figurine forever, and here it is today on my altar. It might be weird, but once I found this turtle, it became my inspiration and is by far my favorite piece on the altar. This is also why I did a green table cloth with accent colors because turtles are green. Colors bring memory, and for me, that is exactly what this altar did.

I thought it was important to add my dog’s collar, and I specifically put her collar around the candle because she was always the light of my life. In the center of my altar is the cross, I am a religious person, and I also thought it would be essential to add the cross in the altar center. All of the items on my altar are keepsakes from either my grandparents or my dog, which feel sentimental to have this for my loved ones and the tradition that my ancestors bring.