Performers danced through a grassy expanse at Steele Indian School Park last October, carrying a large-scale puppet fashioned after a feathered serpent deity called Quetzalcoatl. It was part of a Día de los Muertos celebration called Mikiztli, created by Cultural Coalition as a public celebration of ancestors and ancient Mesoamerican culture. The festival highlights the richness of cultural traditions that gave rise to Día de los Muertos, largely through mediums such as music, dance, storytelling, and art. People of all ages descended on the park, where they made sugar skulls, had their faces painted, explored works by local artists, enjoyed moving performances, and participated in a candlelight procession. It was a poignant reminder of the ways that popular culture tends to dilute or twist history, and a powerful community act of reclaiming and honoring deeply rooted cultural truths.