October 17, 2005

Purdue Latino Cultural Center celebrates Dia de los Muertos

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue's Latino Cultural Center will celebrate the Mexican holiday of Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, with crafts, music and food between noon and 3 p.m. on Oct. 29 at the Jefferson High School cafeteria.

"Every year on Nov. 1 and 2, families in Mexico celebrate Dia de los Muertos to remember and prepare special foods in honor of those who have departed," said LCC director Maricela Alvarado. "It is a celebration with a long and rich history rooted in the indigenous cultures of Mexico. Today it is a mixture of indigenous ritual, Catholicism and pop culture, and an illustration of the flexibility of culture and the importance of holding on to one’s history and roots."

The event is free and open to the public. It will feature craft stations where families can create Dia de los Muertos skulls and other holiday art. Traditional Mexican music and foods will be offered, such as beans and rice as well as pan de muerto, or bread of dead, which is often shaped to resemble skulls or bones.

Students, along with community organizations, will showcase altars to honor the memory of someone who touched their lives, from a family pet to a baseball player. Purdue groups participating include the Latino Student Union, Sigma Lambda Gamma and the Embajodores, a student volunteer group at the LCC. Community groups include the Latino Coalition of Tippecanoe County and West Lafayette and Jefferson High School teachers and students.

Information is available from the Latino Cultural Center at (765) 494-2530, latinocc@purdue.edu. The Latino Cultural Center is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Latino Cultural Center is Purdue's first center for Hispanic and Latin culture. The center strives to provide a venue where people of similar cultures, values, customs and language can unite to share ideas and events with the university and the community.

Writer: Maggie Morris, (765) 494-2432, maggiemorris@purdue.edu

Source: Maricela Alvarado, (765) 494-25301, alvaradm@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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