I wanted to do a special holiday-themed photo shoot for this time of year, and I’ve always been interested in the Mexican/Latin American holiday of Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead. It’s a time when people in Mexico (as well as people of Mexican descent in the United States) celebrate and honor their dead loved ones. What interested me the most about Day of the Dead was the unique face paintings, as well as the dark and almost Gothic imagery: skulls and skeletons, tombstones, altars, etc.
I decided to set up a shoot in the deserts of Eastern Washington, specifically the Columbia River Gorge in Quincy. My friend Viridiana (who is a native of Quincy, Washington, a town with a 74% Latino/Hispanic population) modeled for me, and this is what she had to say about Day of the Dead:
“Growing up as a Mexican American was interesting. I’m very lucky to have such amazing traditions; my most favorite tradition is Día de los Muertos. It’s the one day of the year when I get to remember my lost loved ones. On November 2nd, I get to remember them with rich makeup, food, flowers, and most importantly all the amazing stories I had with them when they were still in this world.
Celebrating Día de los Muertos in Mexico is the complete opposite from celebrating it in the United States. I had the opportunity to do so in Mexico and it was life changing. Here in the U.S. we make altars at home with the foods our loved ones liked the most, while in Mexico you do the same if you’d like but most people do so in the cemetery, which to me is the most proper way to do it. I’ve celebrated Día de los Muertos the traditional Mexican way here in the United States, and most people look at me like, ‘What are you doing?’
I like to have tequila, sweet Mexican bread and coffee. These were both my grandparents’ favorite food and drinks. I think about how amazing my grandparents were as people and how I wish I could see their faces and what they think of their granddaughter chasing our traditions. And I say ‘chasing’ because a lot of Mexican Americans see this as a holiday of getting drunk and doing crazy makeup because they didn’t have the time to buy a costume for Halloween or whatever. So to all you Mexican Americans, don’t lose your traditions and be proud of where your parents came from.”
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