The shop window displays that line the historic Jefferson Boulevard in Dallas' Oak Cliff neighborhood are meant to bring heaven and Earth a little closer.
"I'm setting up a Santa Marta altar for Dia de los Muertos," Bianca Esparza said as she worked inside Top 10 Records on Jefferson Boulevard, one of many businesses participating in the 1st annual Dia de los Muertos celebration.
Businesses are decorating and building altars, called 'ofrendas,' filled with photos, food, and drink to encourage the spirits of loved ones who have passed to visit the living.
"Honoring my ancestors, honoring my roots, thinking about all those who have wanted better for themselves, generations through generations,' Esparza said. "I think for me, this is just a day to honor that."
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Next door at Xaman Cafe, there's another altar filled with food and drink for ancestors, along with marigold flowers to guide them.
"To come down and take the aromas of the spirit, and the food, and then people will enjoy the food after," Solomon Miller said. "To me, it's remembering all beloved people, our family."
"It feels really fulfilling to be able to cultivate that here and to be able to keep that community here," Esparza said. "That's so important to everybody here."
