Dia de los Muertos, translated as Day of the Dead, is annually celebrated to remember loved ones who have died. This year, JCCC community members are invited to participate by writing a name or a brief note to a departed loved one on a paper heart and placing it in front of the altar. Traditionally, peoples in South and Central Mexico have celebrated this day by building similar altars with pictures and other offerings, such as favorite foods of the departed. They also gather at graves to eat and remember the lives of the departed.
By Emily Baker, staff photographer