Project: Día de Muertos Ofrendas

New Mexico Standards: Art: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 Social Studies II

Objectives
1. Students will understand the history and evolution of Día de Muertos, a Mexican tradition, and the way that ofrendas are central to that tradition. (Historical and Cultural Understanding).
2. Students will talk about the materials that are used to create ofrendas for Día de Muertos and how they are constructed. (Perceiving, Analyzing and Responding).
3. Students will find their own ways to create an ofrenda for Día de Muertos. (Creating and Performing).

Materials - Group/Community Ofrenda
Table for a central offering space,
butcher paper or other material for table cloth,
papel picado (see lesson),
candles,
incense and incense holder,
food coloring,
bucket, water and sawdust for the petate,
fresh flowers and or paper flowers(see lesson),
photograph or drawing of a person, group of people, an event or an issue to be commemorated by the classroom,
items of clothing, tools and toys (for children/angelitos)that represent the deceased,
tissue paper, dried grains such as corn, beans, peas, chiles or bay leaves, pan de muerto, skulls made out of flour and salt dough,
glass of water,
markers, pencils, scissors, glue,
collage materials, large paper or poster board for central image.

Motivation
Ask the students if they have ever had a pet die or had a family member, neighbor or friend pass away. How were they commemorated and/or honored? Explain that in México Día de Muertos is an important tool for families and communities to honor and remember their dead. Explain that the students will be making an ofrenda for a person, a group of people, an event or a particular issue. Discuss the terms ofrenda, offering, altar, ritual, rite of passage, camposanto, or burial ground, and commemoration. Ask the students who they have commemorated in the past. Ask the students what they want to focus on for their project of creating an ofrenda. Let the students know that the way that they arrange the elements of the ofrenda is for the ultimate visual appeal, to attract the dead it.

Procedure for Communal Ofrenda
1. Have students create a central image by gluing drawings, photographs and other elements to a large poster board.
2. Cover a table with butcher paper, colored paper or other material. Have students decorate the table cloth with drawing or collage materials.
3. Place the central image in the middle of the table.
4. Place papel picado, whether hanging or as flags on styrofoam or pinned to butcher table. Place tools, clothing and/or toys, possessions of the deceased on the table. Add candles, incense and
incense holder, flowers, foods, glass of water in the front and center of the table.
5. Make pan de muerto in different shapes that relate to the ofrenda topic.
6. Make skulls out of flour and salt dough. (optional)
7. Place pan de muerto and dough skulls on table.
8. To make the petate, mix food coloring in a bucket with water and add sawdust. Mix with a stick and pour it on a plastic sheet to dry. Then arrange on the floor in front of the ofrenda in a decorative manner. You can write the name of the person or the issue you are commemorating, decorate it with popsicle sticks, bottle caps, flower petals or create design with different colors of sawdust. You can make a petate by weaving paper or drawing designs on butcher paper.

Evaluation
Photograph the ofrenda. Invite other classes, family and community members to celebrate their work. Provide refreshments for the guest and have the students talk to people about how they made the ofrenda, why they made it and what they have gotten out of it. Have students write about the process of making the ofrenda and sharing it with guests. After taking down the ofrenda have the students reflect on the meaning
of this process. Ask them what they would like to do next year.

Materials for Individual Ofrendas
Shoe box, poster, paint, glitter, sequins, glue, photograph or drawing of the subject, found objects,scissors, foam board, cardboard, modeling clay, paper scraps, tissue paper, pencils, markers, string or yarn, fabric, ribbons, rick-rack.

Procedure
1. Paint the shoe box.
2. Decorate the exterior.
3. Make a little table out of foam core or cardboard that fits inside.
4. Make a table cloth out of paper scraps or cloth remnants and glue it to the table.
5. Glue the photograph to the back wall and decorate the back wall with sequins, glitter and drawn or painted messages.
6. Make paper flowers out of tissue paper and tie them together with string or yarn. Place them on the table.
7. Make a string of papel picado (just fringed) and hang it from the top of the box.
8. Make candles and candle holders, incense holder and food out of clay.
If possible bring miniature tools and toys to finish the table. Place everything on the table.
9. Make a petate out of woven paper. Place in front of the table.

Evaluations
Have students write labels for their work, describing who it was made for and what the elements are. Create a display using the labels and invite family members, the rest of the school and community members to see it. After the display has been dismantled, have the students write their reflections on how they felt about the process of creating their work.

Extensions and Connections
Have students research the ways that other cultures handle the topic of death. What are other international celebrations or observances like? How do different cultures express their attitudes about death and dying? The students can report on their findings. (Social Studies)

Symbolism of the Ofrendas

Water - Fountain of life and used to quench the thirst of the dead.

Salt - In Pre-Columbian México salt was called tlaxcal and it symbolized fraternity and love for one another. Since the evangelization, salt has come to symbolize purification of the soul by Christ.

Candles - Lit to light the path for the dead. Symbol of faith and hope.

Kopal Incense - Sacred offering to the Gods "food for the Gods."

Flowers - Symbol of love and friendship.

White flowers for children symbolize their purity. The yellow and orange cempascuchil (sem-pah-soo'-cheel) or marigold flowers are symbolic of the preciousness and gift of life.

Dog - In Mesoamérica, figurines representing the hairless dog were used to help the dead cross the waters on the path to the underworld. Dog's also symbolize loyalty.

Petate - The woven floor mat is placed at the foot of the altar/ofrenda so that the spirits may rest after their long journey. In ancient México, the dead were rolled in a petate in preparation for cremation; this practice continues in present day México for the very poor who can not afford a casket.

Day of the Dead | History of Day of the Dead |

| 2011 Day of the Dead | Cut Paper with Scissors |

Cut Paper with Knife | Papel Picado-Cut Paper | Skeleton Puppets

Paper Flowers | Extensions | Vocabulary & Bibliography |

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