Here is his altar at our home, where he can enjoy pancakes just the way he loves them, alfajar (a argentinian cookie), M&M's, beer, and some coconut cookies made by Katie and Zosha. To keep him entertained he has his soccer DVD's of the World Cup, the flag of his favorite soccer team La Catolica, along with some of our coin collection and one of his masks. Many momentos of our adventures outdoors, like acorns, mushrooms and moss, welcome him as well. The blue candle, he told me once, is lit when you are feeling the absence of a loved one.
The Mission in San Francisco has a big Dia de los Muertos festival each year. Anyone is welcome to set up an altar in Garfield park. His was built under a Giant Redwood (his favorite California tree) and overlooked the soccer field. He would be pleased.
Thousands of people came by and took pictures and sat with him here. I was touched and so were many who saw it.
Around the corner along the processonal route, Carlos Baron made another beautiful altar. His "Dead Artists" bus was a tribute to Latin American artists. Ignacio was given a priveledged spot among Edith Pilaf, Lucielle Ball, among others. Later in the evening Carlos burned in Ignacio's honor a giant puppet "La Llorona" that Ignacio had helped make for the March 4 protests in Sacramento.
Many other altars in the park gave people the opportunity to write to their loved ones. I especially liked this string altar. Notice the soccer field in the back.
Finally, we brought the altar from Garfield park back to the imagine site. A woman who lives in a park nearby told me yesterday that she can feel the love radiating from this spot. "I didn't know him, but I know his spirit will live on," she said as she walked away.
My Dad, sister and brother in Kansas City made an altar and said this about it: "On both the first and second of Nov, we will be having our own little circle with Ignacio Fito and share a couple things with him that I most fondly remember we shared in comradeship; the soccer games we shared at the Irish Pub and the Guiness we all shared at the Abby Tavern. So we are going to make it our ritual to drink at least one Negra Modelo, one Guiness, one Irish coffee, watch a soccer game or play some form of football/hurling, get into at least one argument about whose team is better (as well as discuss politics, social reform and the inherent flaws of the communist system). We will have a little table set up with Candles, incense, offerings, matches, jerseys, beer, a libation bowl for his share (which we will later pour onto a sacred spot for us) and his superman statue."
In St. Louis, my family and Sydney and Brent also made a beautiful altar. My mom made chili and they spent all night drinking Chilean wine and remembering the great spirit Fito is. Here is the picture they sent me.
To honor Fito in the way he'd appreciate best, we are throwing him a block party on his half-birthday and 6-month date of his death. We will be performing and making art, playing music, and raising awareness to the amazing person that Fito was. We also want to remind the community that the horrific murderers whom took him away from us are still not charged. Unfortunately finding justice will never bring him back or revoke the pain we feel, but it is the only method we have for making peace with such an inexplicable crime.
Here is his altar at our home, where he can enjoy pancakes just the way he loves them, alfajar (a argentinian cookie), M&M's, beer, and some coconut cookies made by Katie and Zosha. To keep him entertained he has his soccer DVD's of the World Cup, the flag of his favorite soccer team La Catolica, along with some of our coin collection and one of his masks. Many momentos of our adventures outdoors, like acorns, mushrooms and moss, welcome him as well. The blue candle, he told me once, is lit when you are feeling the absence of a loved one.
