“Día De Los Doggies” celebrating Día De Los Muertos in the Sun City

Museum director of the Museum of Archeology wore a dog costume for the “Día de los Doggies” event.

Avery Escamilla-Wendell, Contributor • November 4, 2024

Día de los Muertos is a time to celebrate our loved ones who have passed away. From creating ofrendas to visiting them where they lay, these traditions help to build a connection with those who have passed on. In the fields where poppies bloom and outside the Museum of Archeology are pups from different families across El Paso.

From different vendors, dog clinics, and the El Paso Animal Shelter, dog parents were provided with a variety of opportunities for their dogs to enjoy at the “Día de los Doggies” event hosted on Oct 26.

Museum of Archeology Outreach and Membership Coordinator, Diane Vera-Ureño talked about the culture behind the event.

Event goers were welcomed with various tents and stands promoting local businesses that focused on dog related services and goods. (Emmanuel Rivas Valenzuela)

“El Paso has a really beautiful community as well as with their dogs,” said Vera-Ureño. “We were able to incorporate the nine steps of Mictlān, which is part of Día de los Muertos tradition (and) the first step (is) you’re guided by a dog.”

Not only was culture addressed during this event, but clinics were there to provide vaccines and promote care education for pet owners. Paws N Hooves veterinary technician, Alexa Marquez, shared the importance of having clinics attend pet events like these to address pet care.

“It’s important to have events like these because it promotes client education,” said Marquez. “A lot of people don’t understand why they (pets) need vaccines, what places can offer it, what places can offer surgeries.”

A labradoodle that attended the “Día de los Doggies” wore crocs to protect its paws. (Emmanuel Rivas Valenzuela)

With a variety of pets wagging their tails throughout the event, dogs were able to enjoy the fresh air and make new friends with other dogs. Their owners were also able to make new friends with other local dog owners.

Jorge Puentes, owner of the dog Stannis, enjoyed how the event brought out the community.

“It helps foster community, helps us find other people who are also motivated to have events for their pets such as widespread and diverse, it helps us build these communities that we can be part of,” said Puentes.

Avery Escamilla-Wendell is a contributor for The Prospector and may be reached at [email protected] or on Instagram @by_avery_escamilla.

About the Contributors

Avery Escamilla-Wendell, Contributor/Writer

Avery Escamilla-Wendell is a senior at The University of Texas at El Paso, currently majoring in multimedia journalism with a minor in film. She is a contributor at The Prospector. This fall, she will be interning at PBS El Paso.

Emmanuel Rivas Valenzuela, Editor-in-Chief

Emmanuel Rivas Valenzuela is a senior majoring in multimedia journalism with a minor in political science and chicano studies. Rivas is the editor-in-chief at The Prospector and has worked as a sports editor, writing contributor and as a bilingual writer at Minero Magazine. Outside of Student Media, Rivas has interned for McClatchy as a copy editor, El Paso Matters and a news reporter and most recently at KERA in Dallas-Fort Worth as Radio and News Reporter.