A spectacular Día de los Muertos display honors a prominent namesake. Come see the Day of the Dead altar at Hotel Emma for yourself.
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Essay and photographs by Pamela Price.
Day of the Dead. Día de los Muertos. Día de Muertos.
Whatever one calls it–and all three phrases are common, the tradition that began as a Mexican and Central American custom has now spread into the states, understandably taking deepest root in cities with strong Latino roots.
Long before a pair of animated movies propelled the annual observance into the wider national conscience, however, San Antonio residents have constructed temporary altars (“ofrendas“) to honor the memory of their departed loved ones. Public altars are on display now at various locations, including the library’s main branch.
The occasion is a celebration of life not death, and, as we showed last year with photographs made at La Villita’s annual observance, an opportunity for locals to put on thoughtful, creative displays.
Earlier this week we stumbled upon one such altar in the lobby of the Hotel Emma at the Pearl Brewery designed for the complex’s observance of the two-day holiday (November 1 and 2).
The Day of the Dead altar at Hotel Emma honors Emma Koehler, who was something of a force of nature–and the hotel’s namesake. Her story is summed up on the hotel’s website:
Emma ran the [Pearl Brewery] after her husband and Pearl president Otto Koehler died in 1914. She was an ingenious CEO who kept the brewery going during Prohibition by converting operations to dry cleaning and auto repair, and making near beer, ice cream and soda. While other breweries were shutting down, Emma kept her entire workforce employed. She turned over control of the company to a nephew in 1933, but was a formidable presence at the brewery until her death in 1943.
Such a force certainly merits a memorial, and the one we discovered is a gorgeous one in those dark, rich colors one has come to expect of the hotel’s lobby. Helpful didactic panels help explain the symbolism of some of the altar’s key elements–flowers, candles, sugar skulls, etcetera. Together it makes for a moving display for visitors and guests, a reminder of how one person’s spirit can continue to move others long after she’s gone.
If you so desire, you can visit this altar and others during the Pearl Brewery’s 2018 Día de los Muertos observance.
It’s a beautiful tradition and I love that they continue to honor Emma!
Xo
Jeanelly
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