Anesthesia Department Honors Dia de Los Muertos with an Ofrenda

This past week, Isabel Alves de Lima, our department’s Opportunity and Impact Coordinator, created an ofrenda for Dia de Los Muertos (also known as Day of the Dead) in the Parnassus Clinical Sciences Building (CSB) 4th floor Town Hall. Dia de Los Muertos, celebrated on November 1-2, is a tradition observed in Mexican culture to bring those living closer to those who have passed away. One of the traditions of Dia de Los Muertos is to create an altar, called an ofrenda, with representations of the four elements (earth, wind, water, and fire) as well as photographs of the deceased, their favorite foods and drinks, marigolds (cempasúchil), incense (copal), sugar skulls, salt, glasses of water, candles, and personal mementos.

After a call to the entire department for submissions, 15 department members submitted 34 photos of loved ones (both people and pets) who have passed away. “The ofrenda is beautiful,” said Joanna Times, Director of Administration and Operations. “I literally teared up at the sight of everyone’s loved ones. Thank you for the time and care you took putting this together.”

Other department members expressed their appreciation for this project and for having a space to honor their loved ones and share remembrances. Many sent stories, memories, and reflections along with their photos. During the process of compiling and planning the altar, Alves de Lima noted that she was “extremely moved and honored to be trusted with these memories.”

Items that Alves de Lima could not create herself she sourced from Mixcoatl, a store in San Francisco’s Mission District specializing in authentic, original indigenous items.

The department’s first annual ofrenda will be on display from November 1-7, 2025. Visit the CSB Town Hall to see it for yourself or check out some photos here.

Photo credit: Mike Mullen