Dozens of students gathered at The Rock for food, drinks, Latin music and a candle-lit ofrenda at a Día de los Muertos celebration Sunday afternoon hosted by Mariachi Northwestern.
Saturday night, students painted The Rock with a festive calavera, or skull, to commemorate the cultural celebration. Performers stood in front of a growing crowd as Latin student groups sold cultural staples, from conchas and chocolate-filled churros to horchata and hot chocolate.
Bienen sophomore and Mariachi NU co-President Octavio Escamilla said this year’s event followed the “huge success” of last year’s Día de los Muertos celebration.
Echoing Cerda, he said the celebration helped “welcome back” deceased friends and family.
“We thought bringing all these Latino orgs together would be perfect to build a stronger community,” he said.
Organizations at the event included the Latin Music Ensemble, Ritmo de Mis Ancestros and Greek organizations Kappa Delta Chi and Omega Delta Phi, which are Latina-founded and Hispanic-focused, respectively.
Voice and opera second-year masters student Lurdes Zapata performed with Mariachi NU as a singer.
“Since I do voice and opera, we don’t do anything that’s not Western or classical music,” Zapada said. “I thought this is a great opportunity for me to come back to my roots, because I’m half Mexican.”
She said that when students remember where they come from, they are able to “find community and teach others” about their culture. This, she said, helps the NU community understand that “we’re more similar than different.”
Visiting NU, Christopher Cedillo (Pritzker ’01) said he was unaware of the event until he stumbled across it during a walk around campus Sunday afternoon. When he was in law school at NU, he said Mariachi NU did not yet exist.
“The whole University community needs to understand — and the Latino students, in particular, need to understand — the value that different populations of students bring to this school, whether it’s a different kind of music or a different kind of food,” Cedillo said. “Every one of these groups should feel encouraged to demonstrate that we do bring all this extra value.”
Cedillo said he remains proud of the continued presence of cultural groups at NU despite President Donald Trump’s executive order against DEI initiatives across federal institutions.
“I’m happy to be here in a place that I belong,” he said.
Escamilla said it’s important for students of Hispanic and Latino backgrounds to have a space where they can be together. He said such traditions allow students to “keep celebrating their culture.”
Weinberg junior Samantha Cerda, participated in the event by selling chocolate-filled churros for Dale Duro Latin Dance Company. She said Día de los Muertos is a time to commemorate deceased loved ones to “keep them alive” through celebration. Like Escamilla and Cedillo, Cerda believes events like this help strengthen cultural connections within the NU community.
“(It) celebrates something special,” she said. “Why not share it?”
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Bluesky: @lucaskubovchik.bsky.social
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