A Dia de los Muertos display in the Memorial Union on Wednesday gave ISU students a chance to experience Mexican culture first-hand.

Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a time for remembrance and celebration practiced commonly in Mexico. Family members honor dead relatives, who they believe return home to visit their loved ones. The Central Iowa Alumnae Association of the Sigma Lambda Gamma sorority hosted the event.

Students and adults passed through the Oak Room of the Memorial Union, curious and questioning. They picked up fliers and some spoke to organizers Alicia Iniguez, undeclared graduate student, and Carmen Sanchez, graduate student in interdisciplinary studies. An individual stood, silent in prayer, before one of the altars.

This is the second year Dia de los Muertos has been organized and held on campus by the Central Iowa Alumnae Association.

Nina Grant, minority liaison officer for the department of agriculture, has helped set up the Dia de los Muertos event for the past two years with Iniguez and Sanchez. She said she has many Dia de los Muertos “artifacts” and has been asked in the past to lend those items to supplement other altars.

“The altars are comprised mostly of individual things,” Grant said. “It’s a very emotional event.”

Iniguez had helped Sanchez set up a personal altar in tribute to one of their friends. Sanchez had a second altar in remembrance to her deceased family members, and Iniguez had set up one in memory of her brother. Other altars there included a memorial to Hurricane Katrina victims and a table with information.

“It does take a bit of time,” Iniguez said of setting up the altars. “You need personalized things [of the dead].”

The altars were covered with colorful papers, photos of the honored dead smiling and mementos from their lives – from a Sailor Moon patch on a child’s altar to a pair of sneakers under another. Upbeat music played in the background of the candle-lit room.

“Without music it would seem so somber and dry,” Sanchez said. “This makes it much more lively.”

Food is another important aspect of the memorials. A plate of cookies accompanied the Hurricane Katrina altar. Iniguez and Sanchez’s friend was remembered by a bowl of rice with ketchup.

“It was one of his favorite foods to eat while studying,” Sanchez said.

The Day of the Dead can be emotional, but the organizers stressed it isn’t necessarily a somber event.

“It’s more of a celebration of their life and the things they enjoyed and touched,” Grant said.

Sanchez said the main focus is to celebrate the lives of the people who have passed on.

“It’s important to emphasize not just our condolences,” she said.

Iniguez said she was pleased with the turnout.

“Quite a few people stop and ask questions,” Iniguez said.

“There were many people who were coming just out of their own interest [rather than for class],” Grant said.

All of the organizers said they welcome any visitors who wish to come each year, and anyone who wishes to honor a loved one may set up an altar.

“It’s just a time to honor individuals or someone close to us,” Grant said. “It makes us feel we’re still honoring them, that they’re still with us.”