Mesa Really Needs To Re-Do Celebrations for "Dias De Los Muertos"

It's more than just one day, folks!
Not only the one-day Pop-Up event here at the Mesa Arts Center to commemorate a centuries-old tradition from Mexico.
There's something in my history-buff bones that can make me "a bad calaca" - some one of you, dear readers, may get the message in this medium.
There's much more Mucho Mas for all of us  to celebrate and honor The Day of The Dead than what we have seen for years staged at MAC, when the spirits of those who were here before are welcome back.

There's something definitely here something  'in the water'  so let's dive into it not too deep with a push-and-a-shove if you need it.
Where we live now was once the home of peaceful settlements of thousands of people here in The Rio Salado Valley - That's the Spanish place-name for what we call The Salt River. After Spain colonized the area it was part of Mexico when that country claimed its independence until 1854 ushering in the Era of Manifest Destiny.
After the Homestead Act, a  few hundred missionaries were sent here to lay claim to what they thought was their New Zion to register claims on  all the territories where these indigenous people who came before us settled lived on the lands. The Pioneers buried history under the cities they built over both earlier Mexican and Hohokam cultures.
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It took yours truly far too long to realize this not too long ago in a trip to not-so-far away Mexico and Mexico City where the days come alive all over again for more than a week. One day just doesn't do it, especially here in a city like Mesa where there is an historical dis-connect with our shared histories - it's just not  only the history and short-sighted stories after the arrival of The Pioneers from Utah who call settlements of earlier and First Peoples "Pre-History".

There are some friendly reminders of those who came before, expressed using iconic images, masks and costumes from the traditional Dias de Los Muertos celebrations in Mexico on a street corner here in downtown Mesa
Here to the right there is just one >
Street performance-art from The Cultural Coalition, a local group that updates, re-vitalizes and brings cultures together that remind us who we are today.


Later this month there are a number of events all intended to keep this centuries-old tradition alive. You can visit more information by hitting-up this link on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/zarcoguerrero 

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Zarco Guerrero: The Origin Of Dia De Los Muertos on Vimeo
https://vimeo.com/110700448 
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5th Annual Luncheon Honorees - Carmen & Zarco Guerrero Vignette

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Our Mission is to provide community engagement through unique cultural programs dedicated to the education, promotion and development of Indigenous artists in Arizona.

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