Scenes from Muertos en Westwood street festival

DENVER — Over the weekend, Morrison Road came to life with the third annual Muertos en Westwood festival.

The belated Día de los Muertos celebration, organized by Hecho en Westwood, included altars (or ofrendas) with photos, candles and marigolds to honor residents’ loved ones who have died.

Organizers also wanted the event to honor the Latino and immigrant community’s experience living under the constant stress of immigration detention and deportation. 

“We have to acknowledge that what we're living right now is not a good thing and that our community is affected by this,” co-organizer Sarahi Hernandez said. “All we can do is try to fight back one way or another.”

The event’s tagline “que las fronteras no trasciendan en vida o muerte” — which translates to “may borders not transcend life or death” — celebrates the community’s resilience. 

“It's considering that borders are manmade. [They’re] nothing that our loved ones have to deal with in the afterlife,” Hernandez said. “I think it's a beautiful reminder that those things can change. They can go away.”

The three-day festival featured folklórico dances, poetry readings by youth activists, mariachi music and no shortage of catrinas, people donning the iconic Día de los Muertos skull makeup.