Portfolio

The City of El Paso’s Día de los Muertos Desfile y Festival (November 1, 2025)

Día de los Muertos Desfile y Festival is a signature annual event of the Mexican American Cultural Center in the heart of the Downtown Arts District.

For the 8th annual Día de los Muertos Desfile y Festival, my leadership role involved a focus on event coordination, marketing and media interviews, parade production, and cultivating sponsor relationships. The overall planning efforts for site-specific activities, festival live music, and The Market were made in conjunction with Rebecca Muñoz, who is the MACC director, more MACC team members, and museum professionals from the El Paso Museum of Art, El Paso Museum of Archeology, and El Paso Museum of History. For more information on the festival, check out: epmacc.org/Dia-de-los-Muertos-2025

Above video shot and produced by Acavius Largo (instagram.com/acavius) | Below photographs by Jorge Salgado (salgadophoto.com/home)

Commission and collab with Calhoun Flower Farms for the MACC’s ofrenda design. Photograph offerings include passed loved ones and pets of MACC team members. Cempasúchil, amaranto and nopal paddles featured were grown in the Chihuahuan Desert borderland region by Calhoun Flower Farms (calhounflowerfarms.com)

The MACC’s entryway installation was a commission that was grown, designed, and created by Calhoun Flower Farms. The purpose of this install was not only decorative, but a way for visitors to be immersed in the experience and begin to cross the veil of “el entramundo” before entering the facility. It was a pleasure to collaborate with Susannah Calhoun for this piece, where many guests enjoyed reflecting on the symbolism of cempasúchil , and… as a photo op!

I had the honor of leading this collaboration with Teatro Sin Fronteras’, who wrote and illustrated “CODEX MIQUITZLI”, a trilingual storybook about the Indigenous origins of Día de los Muertos. Written in English, Spanish, and Nahuatl, this book for young audiences follows a young poet who journeys to Mictlan, the Aztec Underworld, in search of a young warrior. The MACC was able to participate in the creation of this book as a sponsor, as well as the host of the book preview event and the official launch during the festival. Teatro Sin Fronteras led three different story time sessions for families.

Ballet Folklorico Paso del Norte created and performed this special Día de los Muertos program, featuring the stories of how the blending of indigenous, Spaniard, and contemporary Mexican traditions created offering practices we see today. This homage also served as tribute to late Mexican icon, Juan Gabriel. It was a pleasure to coordinate this three-session showcase along with the company’s talented director, Mr. Rodolfo Hernandez.