Progress Park Plaza in Paramount turns into an open-air Día de Muertos celebration this Sunday, Nov. 1, as the Latinas Art Foundation hosts Xantolo, a free event running from 3 to 8 p.m. The gathering is set for 15500 Downey Ave. and will fill the plaza with art installations, community altars and performances honoring the holiday.
The Latinas Art Foundation describes Xantolo as an outdoor art walk, according to the Latinas Art Foundation. Visual elements will include community altars, Día de los Muertos arts and craft kits, and community artwork on display, the foundation notes. The celebration is free to attend.
Xantolo is the name for the Día de Muertos observance in Mexico’s Huasteca region, spanning parts of Hidalgo, Veracruz, San Luis Potosí and Tamaulipas. The National Institute of Anthropology and History describes it as a tradition with pre-Hispanic roots that also incorporates colonial-era elements. Its dances, music and offerings are tied to honoring the dead and, in Huasteca communities, to the harvest cycle—context that gives the Paramount celebration’s name a distinct regional meaning. INAH’s overview of Xantolo details those traditions.
What's on the Schedule
The event includes art and traditional food. The foundation's project page adds that performers of all ages are expected to dance in elaborate costumes as part of the celebration. Families and neighbors are invited to share food, games and memories, with organizers framing the event as a way to unite and strengthen community bonds, the foundation notes.
A Community Tradition in Progress Park
The event is part of a wider arts-education mission: the Latinas Art Foundation is a nonprofit that says it supports Latin arts education and seeks to empower women and girls. Its regular classes meet in both Paramount and Cudahy, while its pop-up workshops bring art activities to locations around Southeast Los Angeles. That local footprint places Xantolo within a broader program of cultural and arts programming, rather than as a one-off festival. The foundation’s description of its mission and classes outlines that work.
Xantolo's blend of altars, dance and craft activities reflects the broader spirit the Latinas Art Foundation brings to its programming, which centers on gathering neighbors together around shared cultural traditions. The free admission and family-friendly format make it an accessible entry point for Paramount residents looking to take part in Día de Muertos observances close to home.
Día de Muertos is also recognized internationally as cultural heritage: UNESCO added the Indigenous festivity dedicated to the dead to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008. The observance, held from late October into early November, commemorates the return of deceased relatives and loved ones; family offerings may include flowers, candles and favorite foods. UNESCO also notes the holiday’s connection to the annual maize cultivation cycle. UNESCO’s entry on the tradition explains its cultural significance.
With performances spanning generations and a full slate of vendors, the event is shaping up as a communal send-off to the Day of the Dead season in Southeast Los Angeles County. Those heading to Progress Park Plaza this Sunday can expect the celebration to run the full afternoon into evening, from 3 to 8 p.m.
