Celebrate Día de Muertos at this Las Vegas attraction, other events
It’s about as authentic a taste of Mexico as you can get without dusting off your passport. Colors of Mexico, the interactive cultural experience inside Fashion Show mall, is celebrating Día de Muertos with a limited-time makeover for Day of the Dead.
“Día de Muertos, for us, is a big deal, because we don’t believe death is a bad thing,” team leader Angie Fernandez says of Mexican culture. “This is the celebration of the life, celebration of the legacy, of the person who is no longer physically with us.”
The 20,000-square-foot attraction shines a spotlight on Mexico’s folklore and traditions through seven rooms of original art and soundscapes.
A kaleidoscopic video of sugar skulls, or calaveras de azúcar, bounces off mirrored walls in one room. Another showcases the art of calaveras literarias, lovingly humorous poems written about the deceased, alongside large, costumed skeletal figures known as calacas.
Ofrendas also get their due. The altars are built for Día de Muertos — the common “Día de los Muertos” is thought to be a literal backward translation emphasizing the “the” in Day of the Dead. The ofrendas contain some of the favorite foods and drinks of family and friends who have passed, Fernandez explains, along with a burning white candle to guide their journey back to their loved ones and sugar skulls so they can have a sweet treat when they arrive.
Quotes about death — “Death is so sure to catch us, that it gives us a whole life of a head start.” “Death doesn’t turn off the light. It switches it on from the other side.” — are plastered throughout.
The experience is educational without feeling instructional.
“We want to share who we are,” Fernandez says. “We think that you cannot really learn about it unless you feel it. I can explain to you. We can read online and so forth. But if you can feel it, you can embrace it.”
Guests enter and exit Colors of Mexico through the attraction’s restaurant, which sets out to replicate home-cooked meals with regional flavors.
Dishes include machaca con huevo ($19) — shredded dried beef sautéed with scrambled eggs, onions and peppers — from the North; mole poblano ($19) — chicken in a rich, complex sauce made from chocolate, chiles and spices — from Central Mexico; and cocktail de camarón ($20) — chilled shrimp in a zesty tomato-clam broth with citrus, spice, avocado, cilantro and a splash of lime — from the South.
Admission starts at $19.66, but $15 of that is redeemable toward food, drinks and art that’s sourced from Mexico. The creative team is based in Mexico, where the exhibits are built. Adding to the authenticity, Fernandez, who’s originally from Guadalajara, arrived in Las Vegas this month from Mexico City.
“Other than the freeways, I’m having a blast,” she says, laughing.
Colors of Mexico is marking its first anniversary this weekend. The Día de Muertos Celebration was supposed to end Sunday, but it’s proven so popular, it’s been extended through Nov. 30. A holiday celebration is scheduled to open after that. The space has attracted visitors hailing from Mexico to Minnesota. The one thing missing, Fernandez says, is locals.
“We want them to come and see and come and feel and have a good time with us,” she says.
“We want to bring something different that really makes an impact in each person’s life. Whoever walks into Colors of Mexico, they can actually come outside and say, ‘Oh, my. Now I get it.’”
More ways to celebrate
Events and festivals celebrating the Mexican tradition of Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead, are taking place around the valley this weekend. A couple even stretch into next weekend. Here’s a look at where you can find them:
In addition to more than 40 taco vendors from across the country, the 10th Viva Taco Festival will include a display of altars, art and tributes honoring loved ones. It’s scheduled for 5-10 p.m. Friday, noon-10 p.m. Saturday and noon-8 p.m. Sunday at Craig Ranch Regional Park. Admission starts at $15, with children 48 inches and under admitted free; vivatacofest.com.
Activations including paper marigold, sugar skull and papel picado craft stations will be featured daily through Sunday during the 12th annual HallOVeen at the Magical Forest. It’s open 5:30-9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 5:30-9 p.m. Sunday at 6300 W. Oakey Blvd. Admission starts at $25, and children 3 and younger are admitted free; Halloveen.org.
The city of Las Vegas is sponsoring a family celebration including live entertainment, food trucks, children’s activities and an ofrenda contest. It’s scheduled for 3-9 p.m. Saturday at Goodman Plaza, 525 S. Main St. Admission is free; lasvegasnevada.gov/dayofthedead.
Clark County Parks and Recreation’s two-day “Life in Death: Day of the Dead” festival will include an art exhibition, ofrendas, dance performances, food vendors, crafts, children’s activities and demonstrations of traditional embroidery. It’s set for 4-9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Winchester Dondero Cultural Center & Park, 3130 S. McLeod Drive. Admission is free.
Whitney Library, 5175 E. Tropicana Ave., will host a day full of Día de Muertos events on Sunday. Screenings of Disney and Pixar’s “Coco” are scheduled for noon and 3 p.m. Craft workshops on making Catrina crowns will take place at 1 and 3 p.m. And a special Day of the Dead-themed story time is set for 2 p.m.
The Springs Preserve’s Día de Muertos Festival will feature music, dance and theater performances along with arts and crafts and food vendors. It’s set for 5-9 p.m. Nov. 7-9 at 333 S. Valley View Blvd. Admission for nonmembers is $15 for adults and $9 for ages 3-17; springspreserve.org.
East Las Vegas Library’s fifth annual Día de Muertos celebration will showcase a community ofrenda and a large-scale alebrije. Activities will include live music and dancing, a calaveritas parade, a mole cooking demonstration, crafts and family face painting. It’s scheduled for 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 8 at 2851 E. Bonanza Road. Admission is free.
Contact Christopher Lawrence at clawrence@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4567.
