10/30/2025
Embracing a beautiful Mexican tradition, the Spanish Department sets up an altar de mu***os (Day of the Dead altar) at this time of year to honor important figures in the Hispanic world and in our department who have recently passed away.
With the altar we also celebrate the presence of all our loved ones who have made the transition from life to death. The altar serves symbolically as a way for their souls to return to the world of the living, allowing us to welcome them with offerings that help them on that journey. This year, the altar is dedicated to Professor Michael Millar, who passed away in 2023, and to the Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa, who died on April 13 of this year.
The altar de mu***os will be on display on the first floor of the Waldo Library (to the right upon entering) until Sunday, November 9. Stop by, enjoy, and pay your respects to the departed.
Our enthusiastic thanks to Yossi Díaz and Alýn Díaz Santiago, who coordinated the setup, and to Teresa González Redondo, Paola Guzmán Jiménez, Julio César Martínez Montaño, José Luis Reséndiz Caballero, and Jesús Ruiz Valencia, who lent a helping hand (or two) with the work.
Whether you celebrate the Day of the Dead, All Saints’ Day, or Halloween, this is the time of year to remember those wise words of Jorge Manrique:
“Este mundo es el camino | para el otro, que es morada | sin pesar, | mas cumple tener buen tino | para andar esta jornada |sin errar.”
