SAN MARCOS Millions of Mexican immigrants will keep a tradition alive in their adopted land while celebrating the dead.
In Mexico, Nov. 2 is "Día de los Muertos," or All Saint's Day, when families flock to cemeteries to remember their departed loved ones with their favorite foods and music. Many people build "altars" at home decorated with sugar skulls, crosses and the favorite items of the people being remembered.
This tradition is important to immigrants like Maximinio Sarmiento, who was born in Oaxaca but has lived in the United States for twenty years.
He framed the porch of his San Marcos house with orange lights and set up a table outdoors adorned with vases of yellow marigolds along with items important to his relatives who have passed away.
"It's for our grandparents," says Sarmiento, "and for my parents and siblings who are no longer here."
Sarmiento, 66, is from the town of Santa Gertrudis, part of a district called Zimatlán de Álvarez, about 25 minutes south of the Oaxaca City.
A construction worker, he's lived in in San Marcos for five years with his family. He says it's important to remember where he came from.
The traditional flower of Día de los Muertos is the Mexican marigold, called "cempazuchitl." They are not native to this region so he planted some seeds in his garden in mid-July. In the ensuing months passersby have seen the plants grow and bloom.
Last weekend he harvested the bright yellow-orange flowers to adorn the altar in the outdoor table. And he got together with his nephew and his nephew's family, who also happen to be his neighbors, and had a pre-holiday feast of tamales, molé and "pan de muerto," a round sweet bread sprinkled with sugar.
Sarmiento said it's not just important for him to observe Día de los Muertos. It's also important for his 12-year-old daughter, Cynthia, a student at San Marcos Middle School.
"She needs to know our history," he says. "As long as we're alive, we have to remember our roots."
Aida.bustos@sandiegored.com
