8 LIFESTYLE
SANTA ANA COLLEGE el Don/eldonnews.org • MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2015
HOMAGE / Higgy Vasquez, the son of legendary Santa Ana muralist Emigdio Vasquez, honors the memory of Antonio Ramos, who was shot to death in Oakland. / Jose Servin / el Don
A NOCHE DE ALTARES TO REMEMBER
STORY BY JOSE SERVIN, DIANA VIERA
AND LAURA GARCIA
I
CROSS / Dia de los Muertos is a combination of
Catholic and Aztec beliefs. / Joanna Meza / el Don
nside an alley in Downtown Santa
Ana, Higgy Vasquez, son of famous
muralist Emigdio Vasquez, works
on a mural alongside other artists honoring Antonio Ramos, the 27-year-old
artist who was shot while working on
a mural in Oakland.
“Today is about Antonio. He had
a dream to reach the community
through art,” said Alicia Rojas,
director of the Santa Ana Community
Artist(a) Coalition.
This was one of the scenes at the
13th annual Noche de Altares, Santa
Ana’s version of Dia de los Muertos,
that flooded the west side of Fourth
Street with marigolds made of paper
and the burning scent of incense.
Altars honoring family members,
veterans, Mexican-American singer
Selena and victims of bicycle accidents
surrounded visitors with painted faces.
Dancers wearing traditional Aztec headdresses covered in feathers
weaved through crowds of people
eating churros and elote. On the sidewalks, children had their faces painted.
“We celebrate death but not in a
morbid way. It’s more of a celebration
of life,” Carlos Jimenez, a migrant from
Oaxaca selling handmade jewelry and
purses, said.
On the other