UTEP Celebrating Day of the Dead with Altars Music and Films

On Thursday, Oct. 29, 2015, UTEP will celebrate the Day of the Dead/Día de los Muertos 2015 on campus with various films, altars and much more.

On Nov. 1-2, Day of the Dead is celebrated across many Latin American and European countries honoring the spirits of deceased family members.

The Day of the Dead celebration events at UTEP include:

• Calaveras (decorated skulls), costume contest, live music, free refreshments and more from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
• Monday, Nov. 2, on the Centennial Museum lawn. The musical group Ceiba will perform and a life-sized Mojiganga puppet will be available for photo ops.
• Four of the top short films produced by students in UTEP’s Entering Student Program will be screened from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, through Saturday, Oct. 31, in the lobby of the Centennial Museum. The films delve into Latino culture and are tied to the Day of the Dead.
• Two feature films that use Day of the Dead as part of their plot will be screened for free as part of the Día de los Muertos Film Festival in the Blumberg Auditorium on the first floor of the University Library. “Macario,” a 1961 Academy Award-nominated foreign language fantasy/drama will be shown at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, and “Under the Volcano,” a drama directed by John Huston and starring Albert Finney, will air at 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2.
• Members of the JUNTOS Art Association, whose art is on display in “Icons and Symbols of the Borderland” in the Centennial Museum, will talk about how their art is tied to Day of the Dead during a presentation at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, in the museum’s theater.
• Several colorful and unique altars will be on display starting Wednesday, Oct. 28, in the Centennial Museum, Liberal Arts Building and the University Library. These altars will recognize individuals who have impacted the region and the culture such as the late Maceo Dailey, Ph.D., former director of UTEP’s African-American Studies program who died Oct. 11, 2015. Other altars will honor Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa, Tejano music artist Selena, the actor Cantinflas, and former UTEP Hall of Fame basketball coach Don Haskins. The altars, some of which were erected as part of UTEP’s International Culture Festival, will be taken down as early as Tuesday, Nov. 3, while others will stay up through Friday, Nov. 6, 2015.