BRidging Mexican folk art and education
calaveras con cariÑo
Our workshops surrounding the Mexican-Indigenous holiday, Día de Los Muertos, help fellow educators and communities foster cultural understanding, knowledge, and celebration through sugar-skull making.
Calaveras con Cariño is a familial educational passion project serving communities in the Central Valley of California.
Our workshops center education by using hands-on activities to enhance critical thinking and deepen engagement with cultural traditions. This interactive approach bridges theory and practice, creating a holistic and impactful learning experience.
Education
Diversity serves as a cornerstone of our workshops, emphasizing the beauty and strength found in different cultural perspectives. By welcoming participants from all backgrounds, the workshops foster dialogue, mutual respect, and a shared appreciation for the richness of cultural experience.
Diversity
Our Día de los Muertos workshops emphasize community learning, inviting participants of all ages to engage with history, cultural art, and creative expression. These workshops serve as opportunities to learn, create, and celebrate culture together.
Community
Learn more
Our Mission
Our Día de los Muertos workshops emphasize community learning, inviting participants of all ages to engage with history, cultural art, and creative expression. These workshops serve as opportunities to learn, create, and celebrate culture together.
Community
Diversity serves as a cornerstone of our workshops, emphasizing the beauty and strength found in different cultural perspectives. By welcoming participants from all backgrounds, the workshops foster dialogue, mutual respect, and a shared appreciation for the richness of cultural experience.
Diversity
Our workshops center education by using hands-on activities to enhance critical thinking and deepen engagement with cultural traditions. This interactive approach bridges theory and practice, creating a holistic and impactful learning experience.
Education
Our family’s story begins with our grandparents, Eva and Joaquin, who taught us the beauty and strength of embracing our culture. Joaquin, a creative and thoughtful Arts and Crafts teacher, believed in using the classroom to affirm cultural pride and knowledge, while Eva, a retired Spanish teacher, made it her mission to share the vibrant traditions of Dia de Los Muertos. Their legacy of love and resilience has always encouraged us to pursue our dreams while staying connected to our roots. As a family, we carry forward the love, culture, and values they’ve instilled in us, by bringing our Dia de Los Muertos workshops to the communities of California.
Our family’s story begins with our grandparents, Eva and Joaquin, who taught us the beauty and strength of embracing our culture. Joaquin, a creative and thoughtful Arts and Crafts teacher, believed in using the classroom to affirm cultural pride and knowledge, while Eva, a retired Spanish teacher, made it her mission to share the vibrant traditions of Dia de Los Muertos. Their legacy of love and resilience has always encouraged us to pursue our dreams while staying connected to our roots. As a family, we carry forward the love, culture, and values they’ve instilled in us, by bringing our Día de Los Muertos workshops to the communities of California.
The Full Story
Hola, we're the Patiño's
Meet the Family
Lizbeth Juarez
High School Teacher (9-12), Spanish Honors Society Advisor
Spanish Honors Society-Chapter El Cid
"We have had the pleasure of having Señora Patiño & Family present to us their "Día de Muertos" workshop for many years for our Spanish Honors Society & Spanish Club. This is a unique and cultural enrichment experience that our students enjoy and remember fondly. We look forward to having them every year as we know it is a successful event!"
testimonials
omar correa
director
California State University, Bakersfield
"Calaveras con Cariño has always provided such meaningful and joyful Día de Muertos workshops for our students. Every year, they create an experience that blends culture, creativity, and reflection in a way that truly connects with young people. Even during the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, they went above and beyond, setting up a full production studio at home and mailing art kits directly to students so no one missed out. Their commitment, care, and passion for keeping cultural traditions alive, even in difficult times, made a lasting impact on our school community. Our students always looked forward to their workshops and left feeling inspired and proud of their heritage."
testimonials
Araceli
Centennial High school
"The sugar skull activity was a fun and creative session! Students loved decorating their own sugar skulls provided by Mrs. Patiño, while learning about Día de los Muertos traditions. The students were able to learn culture and art together beautifully."
testimonials
diane
Los angeles
"Citlalli's workshop was a wonderful and immersive experience. The presentation was clear, full of historical and cultural facts, and included personal stories. It was interesting, touching, and exceptionally well organized. In the second half of the workshop, everyone got to decorate their own sugar skulls as she had brought so many ornaments to choose from. Citlalli guided us through each step with patience and warmth, creating a space that was both educational and deeply joyful. It was the perfect blend of learning, creativity, and cultural appreciation."
testimonials
have a conversation with us
Let's bring fun cultural art, education, and celebration to your organization, class, school, community, or university!
If you would like to inquire more about our workshops, please don't hesitate to reach out and email us!
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Free and accessible education
Education should be free and accessible for every child, student, teacher, and human. This is why we have created a cultural arts creative activity for free, for you.
No spam emails, just the creative activity for you and your students.
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