Spiritual and Cultural Significance of Indigenous Plantings at Cementerio San José I

Cover image: Photo by Margaret Gallagher

Free Admission!

Presentation Summary:

Marika Alvarado, a Lipan Mescalero Apache medicine woman, will give a presentation on the Indigenous significance of plantings found in San Jose Cemetery 1. The field work will be documented and organized for the presentation by Marika, Margaret Gallagher, and Diana Hernández with an emphasis on plant properties and medicinal uses. The presentation makes use of botanical illustrations and photographs provided by Margaret Gallagher. 

Presentors:

Marika Alvarado 

Maestra Marika is a Lipan Mescalero Apache. She is a direct descendant of generations of Medicine Women: traditional native healers of spirit and body, midwives, and plant medicine practitioners.  Her mother, grandmother, and aunt handed the medicine down to her.  

Margaret Gallagher

Margaret Gallagher is pursuing her Master of Landscape Architecture at the University of Texas at Austin. Her passion for the arts, science, community engagement, and early childhood education inspires her to create interactive work that draws attention to subtle evolutions present in the world around us and facilitate lasting connections between people and places.

Diana M. Hernández

Diana Hernandez has taught in Texas for 10 years and has been an independent researcher on issues of language, diversity and preservation since 2014. Her work, locally and abroad, highlights the preservation of cultural landscapes related to the history of racial violence. She is currently completing an MS in Historic Preservation at the University of Texas at Austin.

Moderator: Evie Carr

Evie Carr is a traditional healer with Apache, Alabama Coushatta and hispanic roots. She has been studying traditional medicine with Maestra Marika Alvarado since 2017 with a focus on native plant medicine.

This presentation in in conjunction with the exhibition Nuestra Comunidad/Our Community – Memory and Remembrance

Sept. 17, 2021- Nov. 21, 2021

This exhibition marks the 38th Annual Dia de los Muertos exhibition and celebration at the Mexic-Arte Museum, since 1984.  The exhibition, as always, pays tribute to the tradition that celebrates the return of the dead to their families and friends on November 1st and November 2nd. Ofrendas, recuerdos, memorias, photos and offerings are assembled and shared in a room by community members to remember loved ones who passed away.  

Mexic-Arte Museum invited the public to contribute a photo of a loved one or someone you admire who has passed away. The gathering of recuerdos includes an installation by (Re)claiming Memories organization focusing on Indigenous community and significance of plantings the San Jose Cemetery  by Marika Alvarado, a Lipan Mescalero Apache medicine woman and photographer Margaret Gallagher.