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The Spanish Club at Hanna Early College High School has put up an altar in the school lobby again this year that pays tribute to teachers who have recently died, part of a growing Day of the Dead tradition at Hanna.
The tradition also includes students in Martha Martinez’s Spanish classes, whose individual altars celebrate a family member, friend, famous person, celebrity or even a deceased pet. These small altars are arranged around the main altar, memorializing the individuals as well as the departed teachers.
“They took the time to get every single element. They were graded by 11 elements. It’s something really nice where they can remember their loved ones. And these are the pictures of the teachers that have passed away,” Martinez explained Tuesday morning while standing in front of the altars.
Each smaller altar celebrates the memory of someone who has died, along with items they held dear, foods they liked and something memorable about them, Martinez said.
The Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos, begins on Nov. 1 with All Saints Day for children who have died, followed on Nov. 2 by All Souls Day for everyone else, which is celebrated in Mexico, Latin America and around the world as the Day of the Dead.
“This project was really special because we were able to come together as a group, Spanish club and Ms. Martinez’s Spanish classes. … It’s nice to honor the teachers that have passed because they shaped the school,” Spanish Club president Mia Nava said.
The photos that comprise the main altar are arranged around Elizabeth Cortina, a science teacher at Hanna who just recently died, and her husband Robert Cortina, a professor at the University of Texas.
“All of this has to do with Hanna and we decided this year to honor them,” Martinez said.
Cynthia Vasquez, a Spanish Club member, said it’s important to showcase Dia de los Muertos as part of the Hispanic culture.
“What I get from this is showing our culture and Dia de los Muertos, just like the American movie Coco, because here in the United States I believe it is important to show the Hispanic culture and how we miss our loved ones,” she said.
Many of the students who had a part in making the altar said it is important to highlight Day of the Dead as distinct from Halloween, the mainstream holiday that precedes Day of the Dead and often overshadows it.
Gael Cavazos, a freshman, said what he got from the project “is all the emotion and the honor of putting our family members that have passed away on the altar. Anyone can put up an altar, but what does it mean to that family member. It’s really great that every year we can put up an altar,” he said.
Angelica Paz said, “It’s important to remember this holiday because not a lot of people celebrate it.”
Carol Ramirez said the project is “to remember all the teachers that have passed away, our family members and loved ones.”
Vilandra Torres said the project was done spontaneously “in the span of about a week or so. It was just a nice project to do with the community. A lot of people aren’t celebrating it anymore,” she added.
Monica Salazar said the project made her think of family memories.
“We did this as a reminder of the memories of the loved ones that we have and the special memories of them that we have. …We get together as a family and talk about everything that happened so they won’t be forgotten. It’s really joyful and heartwarming to have those kind of memories,” she said.
