Music from a live band echoed over the hill to the park entrance, incense wafting in every direction, the crowds of attendees illuminated by the warm glow of candles and string lights. Revelers — many clad in elaborate costumes, faces painted in detailed calavera makeup — strolled through the winding paths lined with altars honoring the recently departed.
Many altars featured photographs and trinkets from family members, friends, or even pets that had been lost. Others honored historic figures — notably recently departed labor leader Dolores Huerta — as well as lives lost at the hands of ICE agents.
This was the scene Monday evening in the Mission District at Potrero del Sol Park, also known as La Raza Park. Just outside the gates a block party offered food trucks and costume accessories for purchase. Pop-ups spilled out onto the sidewalks nearby along 24th Street.
According to Mission Local, this version of Día de los Muertos grew out of a particularly deadly stretch in the 1980s in response to local gang violence and the AIDS crisis, as well as the larger Latino community suffering from brutal wars in Central America.
One would likely never guess that history from the celebratory atmosphere on Monday night. Sure, death is inevitable; but in life we can celebrate our memories of the departed with a loud, colorful party.
