TYLER, Texas — On Monday, many East Texans will honor the lives of family members who have passed away by spending time talking about them, sharing memories and looking through past photos.
The holiday is called Dia De Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, and it's celebrated every year from November 1-2.. Families set up altars with photos of their loved ones and put out ofrendas or offerings.
Usually, an ofrenda is an object that was meaningful to the person. In many cases, families place their favorite food and drinks. They also decorate the altar with flowers and sugar skulls.
East Texas has a large population of Mexican-Americans keeping the tradition alive.
Natalia Urquiza is one of those residents, she said she moved to Tyler with her parents 27 years ago at the age of 16.
Urquiza has organized a Dia De Los Muertos event every year. This year she said access will be limited due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. She said everyone who attends will wear a mask and they must practice social distancing.
She said the celebration will take place on November 15 at the Rancho Los 3 Potrillos, a local wedding and entertainment venue.
"It's important not to lose our roots or our culture, these are the types of traditions that we celebrate back home," she said. "Back home, this day is filled with color, we celebrate by eating food and dressing up like the Catrina."
Catrina is a famous portrait of a female skull made by Jose Guadalupe in the early 1900s that has become trendy throughout the years. People dress up and paint their faces with black circles around their eyes to signify death.
Leslie Sandoval is another Tyler resident who celebrates at home. She is a part-time make-up artist and full-time mother. She said she started doing Dia De Los Muertos style makeup after watching the Disney movie Coco.
She said she was inspired by the message the movie provided and was happy to share the tradition with her three daughters.
"I want to be able to know the history and the details to explain to people that it's more than just a costume it's more than just the sugar skulls. It's a celebration of life because death is a celebration and we should see it as that," Sandoval said.