Mesa marks 20 years of Dia de los Muertos with weekend festival

MESA, AZ — Mesa’s 20th annual Día de los Muertos festival hits the streets this weekend, continuing a cherished celebration two decades in the making.

The festival officially starts at noon on Saturday at the Mesa Arts Center. The roots of Día de los Muertos stretch back thousands of years, and Latino families from Arizona continue the tradition of honoring loved ones who have died.

The celebration is rooted in family ties and keeping the memory of loved ones alive with music, food, and cherished memories of relatives who have died.

At the heart of the observance is a giant community altar, where mourners place offerings of photos and food. Kochitl Carry Avila, a Tucson-based artist, and a crew of volunteers invest days building the ceremonial altar.

“It’s a lot of work, but it’s really delightful,” Avila said.

Hummingbirds are a central theme this year. Latino tradition holds that they are messengers, delivering comfort to those who live on in grief.

“It’s remembering. It’s keeping all who pass away in our heart,” Avila said. “We try to keep them alive. We bring in their pictures. It’s just a little piece of remembering.”

The Mesa Arts Center’s celebration is not the only observance in town. Mercado Mesa also plans its annual Día de los Muertos celebration for Oct. 29.

Marco Meraz and his family operate Republica Empanada. He is thankful that Mesa celebrates so actively, sugar skulls and all.

“Everybody celebrates in their own unique, special way,” Meraz said

“It’s OK to mourn and be sad about lost loved ones, but this is an opportunity to mourn and celebrate them,” Meraz said.

Downtown Mesa is decked out in festive colors, preparing for a big crowd this weekend. Rose Hanne, who chairs the Mesa Arts Center’s foundation board, said the event is a labor of love. The Arts Center says its celebration is one of the nation’s biggest.

“It’s an entire labor of love. It celebrates the entirety of the family,” Hanne said.

“In the Mexican culture, it is paramount that family not be forgotten. This is a celebration to keep remembering them,” Hanne said.

The official holiday isn’t until the first weekend in November. Mesa Arts Center leaders believe holding the festival early avoids conflicts with family observances.

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