Central Coast Zoo celebrates Dia de Los Muertos
Event featured art projects, student activities, and native species
– First Five hosted Dia De Los Muertos on Saturday at the Central Coast Zoo in Atascadero. Staff celebrated Marigolds, Monarch Butterflies, and Spider Monkeys at the zoo. All are indigenous to Latin America.
Several booths were interactive. Some students took part in art projects. Others visited the zoo animals, but the staff welcomed kids in the community. The intent was to make the Central Coast Zoo reach out to people who may not otherwise visit the zoo. They celebrated the animals that came from the same lands as their ancestors.
The translation of the observance is “Day of the Dead.” Historically, El Dia de Los Muertos honored those who had passed. In Mexico, the Catholic feast days are held from October 31st through November 2nd. The celebration is a fusion of Pre-Columbian traditional and religious ceremonies of the Olmec, Mayan, and Aztec people. The event started in Mexico and spread. Some create family shrines or “ofrendas” to honor their ancestors.
At the Central Coast Zoo in Atascadero, Dia de Los Muertos took a new path into the natural world of Latin America.
