I met death early in life.
I was so young, the memory feels faded, but I remember. I remember speaking with my grandfather, Andres Flores Quintero, for the first and last time. Over the phone, I asked him when I would see him. Even at that age, I felt like I knew him.
Born shortly before the end of the Mexican Revolution, in 1920, my grandfather was a man of another time. He was tall and stocky, with an imposing demeanor — to my mother he resembled a Mexica warrior. Because of his Indigenous descent, he worked the lands in Hidalgo that he inherited from his father who fought in the revolution and received ejido from the resulting land reform. During World War II, my grandfather helped build rail lines in Montana as a bracero. He was also a founding resident of Aragon, now one of many densely populated boroughs in Mexico City, where he built a home for his wife and children from the ground up. There, he was known for making traditional barbacoa and throwing neighborhood-wide parties. He was deeply loved by his son, five daughters, and 13 grandchildren. He was the patriarch of the Flores family. To his community, he was Don Andres.
Don Andres died in 2002, at the age of 82, away from the majority of his children and grandchildren, separated by 2,846 miles and a border.
As I’ve gotten older I think of him more often. I grieve him and the little I got to know him and yet, in death, no longer obstructed by our immigration statuses, his spirit fills my home.
Día de Muertos is not just about sugar skulls and aesthetic altars. It’s so much more to those who celebrate. Through our culture, we are able to honor and reconnect with our people, known and unknown, their story, and their place in history. Only then can we know ourselves.
This year, Seattle is full of opportunities to appreciate Día de Muertos, but my hope is that maybe instead of just admiring the cempasúchil, you take it a step further. Ask someone to tell you about the spirit that fills their home. In this way, you let their memories live once more. That is what Nov. 1 and Nov. 2 are truly about.
Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery Dia de los Muertos Art Show
Oct. 5–Nov. 17
9414 Delridge Way Southwest
Free
Local artist and Chicano Jake Prendez brings Día de Muertos to his White Center gallery once more. The Nepantla gallery is deeply connected to its community (last year, its poster featured the painting of Francisca Garcia. The Nepantla exhibitions bring local and often national artists together in one room. The brightly painted walls are covered with depictions of catrinas, skulls, and Mictlan — the Aztec underworld.
The Catrina Festival has enjoyed a rapid rise to popularity. Since 2022, it has become a central Seattle event for the holiday. La Catrina was created in print by José Guadalupe Posada, to mock the wealthy in Mexico. Today, she is synonymous with Día de Muertos. As is typical, many people will attend the festival dressed as the finest calacas and catrinas. This year, you may have seen the giant skulls around Pioneer Square, which will be brought to Town Hall for the three-day festival that includes concerts, photo booths, and live performances.
Beacon Hill’s cultural hub will be packed with ofrendas this year until Nov. 18. This year’s theme, “Voting for Resilience: Honoring Voices Lost, Empowering Voices Present,” revolves around voting and rights and honors social justice organizers. The exhibit will kick off on Nov. 2 as El Centro welcomes friends and families to enjoy the Día de los Muertos festival, where there will be giveaways, face paintings, food vendors, dance performances, and a special live KEXP broadcast.
Benaroya Hall will be graced by Mexico’s National Folkloric Orchestra, which includes classic mariachi instruments, on Nov. 3. It will be playing none other than the original score to Pixar’s beloved Day of the Dead film, Coco. So, you can finally sing along to the Oscar-winning song “Remember Me” to a live band. The concert will run for two hours and include some activities beforehand.
Day of the Dead at South Park Hall
Oct. 26 and Nov. 2
1253 S. Cloverdale St.
Free
South Park Hall invites community members and friends to watch Coco. It will also be serving actual cocoa and offer cookie decorating and popcorn, all for free. For Día de Muertos, South Park Hall will be hosting a “ceremony” that includes viewing of a traditional tapete, Aztec dancers, and art workshops.
The Angle Lake Station will be packed with artisans, vendors, a mariachi, and performers for its Día de los Muertos Micro Mercado. These micro mercados started this past summer, and it’s great to see them continue through the fall despite the cooling temperatures. The mercadito will be attended by Nepantla Arts, in case you want to catch the artist and his unique and personally curated gift selections on this side of town.
Bonney Watson Ofrenda
16445 International Boulevard, SeaTac
Oct. 28–Nov. 2
Free
Seatac’s Bonney Watson Funeral Home is embracing Day of the Dead too. It’s inviting the public to place photos of their deceased on the altar in the main lobby to create “a space for reflection and remembrance,” according to the B-Town Blog. Then, on Nov. 1, the funeral home will have a special screening of Coco, where it will be offering light refreshments to attendants.
While the free-with-registration option is no longer available, there’s still a chance to go to the SAM and partake in its robust Day of the Dead event. The SAM is celebrating its 30th year hosting this event. This year, the museum will have its tapete as usual, and also performances by La Banda Gozona and a printmaking workshop led by Oaxacan artists from Taller Burro Press, where they’ll explore symbolism and history of the original image of La Catrina.
Aqui Mercado Dia de los Muertos Night Market
Nov. 1
101 S. Jackson St.
Free
Everyone’s favorite Latino market, Aqui Mercado, is back, this time to honor the dead. A community ofrenda will sit front and center. Meanwhile, more than 30 POC and LGBTQ vendors — specially curated by Aqui Mercado — will come together from 4 to 10 p.m. The vendors include handmade crafts, vintage clothing collectors, artists, and more. Food by Antojito Alley and live performances by La Mala Noche, Sarah Espinoza, and more.
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