Associated Press
SAN JOSE, Calif. – Small photos of New York police officers are at the center of the altar, flanked by shots of police in action on Sept. 11 helping people escape the ruins of the World Trade Center.
Officer Darrell Cortez of the San Jose Police Department didn’t know any of his New York colleagues who died in the terrorist attacks, but he wanted to honor them with the altar he constructed for this year’s Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead.
A commemoration that mixes the traditions of Mexico’s indigenous peoples with the Roman Catholicism of the Spanish conquistadors, the Day of the Dead is typically observed over two days, Nov. 1 and 2, in Mexico and parts of Central America and the United States.
The mood of the remembrance is often lighthearted, with whimsical, dancing skeleton decorations and skulls made out of sugar. But the commemoration has taken on a new gravity this year, as Hispanic cultural centers, art galleries and museums remember those who died in the terrorist attacks.
“We will never forget them. We’re proud of them,” said Cortez, a police officer of 22 years. “These officers gave the ultimate sacrifice in giving aid to those people in trouble at the World Trade Center.”
In New York last weekend, families placed carnations, photos of loved ones who died in the attacks and bowls of their favorite chicken and mole sauce meals on a community altar at El Museo del Barrio.
In San Antonio, Mexican artist Gustavo Gonzalez Alvarez is planning an exhibit at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center to honor the Sept. 11 victims. Alvarez wants visitors to mold clay into figures representing those who were killed. The clay people will be placed on hills of colored sand spread on a gallery floor.
“When you have something so fresh that just happened, that hurts, it’s still on everybody’s mind,” said Alvarez, who lives in northern Mexico. “Everybody around the world cares. You care about what happened no matter where you are.”
The San Jose altar, constructed by Cortez, his wife, Alicia, and other members of the National Latino Peace Officers’ Association, combines images of fallen officers – both from San Jose and New York – with other tokens of remembrance.
Cortez’s sons, 11-year-old Emilio and 16-year-old Ricardo, contributed a toy police car. A tennis ball and cigar were added to recall the officers’ favorite pastimes. Paper skulls, painstakingly colored with markers and each bearing the name of an officer, were included to represent the lost souls.
“There’s a bond,” Cortez said. “Police officers, no matter where you work, that bond is there.”
In Denver, the Chicano Humanities and Arts Council recognized the terrorist attacks by calling this year’s Day of the Dead events “a celebration of life.”
Chairwoman Crystal O’Brien hopes that spirit will permeate the gallery’s exhibits and visitors. “People are looking at their own lives and cherishing them a little more than they did in the past, cherishing those around them,” she said.
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