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By Taylor Beard
The Corazon y Alma Cultural Center opened its doors to awaiting crowds Saturday; so many that they spilled onto the street as the guest speakers verbalized their love and appreciation for the center’s creation.
Several guest speakers were on hand to show this appreciation and speak on the importance of such a center, including Eda Zavala, Lorraine Garcia-Nakata and Mark Siegwarth of the Boyce Thompson Arboretum.
For its opening, the center was filled with beautiful and intricate altars honoring the dead…each with their own special feeling denoting the beauty of the individual being honored. There were several types of crosses accentuating the spiritual setting of each of the altars and pan de los muertos, baked for this specific purpose. Each altar was filled with stunning photos of the honored.
The ceremony was rounded out by Miss San Carlos Apache, who spoke about her culture and the wonderful things she has learned about the culture of Superior. She finished up by singing to the crowd, then introduced her sister who accompanied her as she asked the crowd to join in on a traditional Apache dance.
The Corazon y Alma Cultural Center will be open 5-7 days a week with programs and exhibitions revolving in and out for the next two months. October is focused on Dia de Los Muertos or Day of the Dead and will be showcasing the Latina women of Superior from the early 1900s to the 1950s. November will open with programs that include many cultural experiences such as Chinese, Laotian, Middle-Eastern, and African American experiences in both Superior and the Copper Corridor.
For more information on the Corazon y Alma Cultural Center contact Jeffrey Ferns at ferns_jeffrey@yahoo.com.
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