The Altars Are the Heart: Muertos Fest Closes Sunday With 90-Plus Ofrendas at Hemisfair
The 14th annual Muertos Fest ran its final day Sunday from noon to 9 p.m. at Hemisfair, free to attend, with more than 90 community altars — including one honoring veterans lost to suicide and one honoring border musicians — at the center of the celebration.
Muertos Fest closed its 14th annual weekend at Hemisfair on Sunday, running from noon to 9 p.m. and free to attend, with organizers expecting more than 100,000 people across the festival. The San Antonio Current, reporting from Friday's opening, counted more than 90 community-built ofrendas and more than 90 businesses from San Antonio and the surrounding region taking part. “Altars are the heart of this fest,” Muertos Mercado co-creator Cristina Martinez told the Current. “People are honoring their ancestors; they're honoring pets, so that is really the beauty of Muertos Fest.”
Some altars carried the border with them. A group of music therapists and therapeutic recreation specialists from Mercedes, Texas, built an ofrenda titled “100 años, un ciclo de música fronteriza,” honoring deceased musicians from communities along the Texas-Mexico border, pairing pictures of Rio Grande Valley community members with Mesoamerican elements. “Centering music in our ofrenda was really important because, as music therapists, we recognize the power of music throughout generations to keep our stories, culture and people alive,” participant Maria Oyoque told the Current.
Another display, in its fourth consecutive year at the festival, was built by Air Force veteran Gabe Gonzalez and his wife for Gonzalez's nonprofit Operation Solace, which advocates expanding veteran access to alternative medical treatments. The altar honors service members who died by suicide, with photographs alongside a glass case of around 1,000 dog tags — representing only a small number of the veterans lost, according to Gonzalez. “I'm a suicide survivor myself, and it's very important to me that we honor those who have lost their battle with demons,” he told the Current.
Martinez told the Current that coordinating the festival takes months, that organizers begin work on the next one almost immediately, and that keeping the holiday's cultural authenticity carries substantial weight in San Antonio. For visitors on the closing day, the festival's own app carried the schedule and map. “Take in the altar, take in the music,” Martinez said. “It's a huge gift, a huge love letter to San Antonio.”
