Giant Ofrenda Arrives in Manhattan Ahead of Día de Muertos
Designed by artisans from Mestiz Studio in Mexico, the public altar welcomes passersby to make offerings to their loved ones.
An enormous ofrenda, titled "Twenty Petal Flower," begins blossoming in Flatiron's North Plaza in Manhattan today, October 26, six days before the start of Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead).
Inspired by the terms for the Mexican marigold in Nahuatl (cempōhualxōchitl) and Spanish (cempasúchil), "Twenty Petal Flower" functions as a public community altar where participants can place offerings, candles, gifts, and mementos of their loved ones through November 3. In partnership with Powerhouse Arts in Brooklyn, artisans from Mestiz Studio in Mexico's San Miguel de Allende wove the tiered arrangement into enlarged marigolds, which are thought to help guide the souls of the deceased back to their living family members each year.
"A Día de Muertos altar is traditionally a tribute to someone we love who is no longer with us. With Twenty Petal Flower, we wanted to honor the people behind the cempasúchil’s entire journey, from cultivation to the ofrenda," Daniel Valero, founder and creative director of Mestiz, told Hyperallergic.
