Students, staff, and faculty from the UT Austin community are invited to upload photos of their loved ones who have passed by October 20th for inclusion on our Día de los Muertos community ofrenda in observance of the upcoming holiday on November 1st. The Ofrenda will be open for public viewing from October 27th-November 5th from 10am-4pm, Monday-Friday in the Gordon-White Building lobby.

During Día de los Muertos (also known as Day of the Dead) the Latino Studies Community Ofrenda is assembled to honor and welcome the spirits of our deceased loved ones back briefly to the physical world. The decorative altar is adorned with offerings including favorite foods and drinks for nourishment, photographs and personal items to guide and comfort the spirits, marigold flowers (cempasúchil) to help them find their way, and candles to provide light. 

The practice of building an altar is a central part of the Día de los Muertos celebration which grew out of Catholic church practices and pre-Columbian traditions but is now increasingly observed in the United States as part of contemporary Latinx popular culture.