Carlos Eric Lopez remembers as a young child watching his grandmother, Abuelita Lita, create her own agendas in her honor. Día de Los Muertos is also known as the Day of the Dead.

Photos of deceased family members were placed on an altar filled with candles, flowers and tokens representing them. It was a place where those who passed away, big or small, would be remembered.

An only child and “military brat” who moved frequently, Lopez had a strong family bond, especially with Lita, whom he described as the “cornerstone” of his family.

“She’s the matriarch,” he tells TODAY.com. “The importance and importance of it was really beautiful.”

He only began to understand the greatness and beauty of the Mexican holiday, celebrated throughout Latin America, when his mother, Josephine “Josie” Cisneros Lopez, died when he was 17 years old.

While Day of the Dead is celebrated in many ways, its purpose is to keep the memory of a deceased loved one alive in the belief that one day you will be reunited. It is held on November 1 and 2, but can be celebrated on different days depending on the region.

Lopez took it upon herself to educate her non-Latino friends about the importance of Día de Muertos, and her commitment began as a result of the pandemic.

“My family started getting sick from COVID,” Lopez recalls, sharing how she became immersed in her lineage as family members died.

“I really wanted to connect with them more, find a way to keep their memories (alive). That’s when my altar started exploding with every kind of decor you can think of. It started to overflow with pictures. I would buy flowers. I would start bringing all the things they used to like. I was going to put food on it. I would pour booze on it and it really started to make it this beautiful thing.

When people began to gather again in late 2021, he had friends politely asking why he had so many photos of his deceased family at his table.

“The easiest way to explain it to them was: ‘Have you seen the movie ‘Coco’?” he says. “As much as I loved the movie and it was a great reference, I said, ‘That’s not how I can describe this magical day we all celebrate.’”

That’s when Lopez, who was influenced by her late mother to explore art, decided to host her first intimate Día de Muertos dinner.

Photos of the event attracted worldwide attention from Latinos who thanked him for honoring the culture in an authentic way. The success of the dinner has led him to host a larger event in 2022 and turn it into a major cultural celebration.

second annual For the Día de Muertos event, friends and celebrities gathered at Casa De Plata, a hacienda-style home in Los Angeles designed by Ricardo Legorreta, a protégé of Mexican architect Luis Barragán.

By the third year, it had turned into an extraordinary gala dedicated to Lita and was held at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. He also founded the beverage company Cura Lita, named after his grandmother.

Lopez didn’t plan for this to be a Día de Muertos gala, but she’s honored to continue hosting while combining traditional elements with the new traditions she’s created. This includes honoring the actor Gael Garcia Bernal with the opening Premio Vida y Legado (Life and Legacy Award) 2023 celebration and Lita was present at the inauguration of the Abuelita Award.

“Since my mother died, our bond has become more exciting in a really beautiful way. When the two of us come together, we create my mother because she is an older generation and I am a younger generation,” Lopez says. “So the two of us together create this magnetic field.”

Introducing himself as the “King of the Dead”, Lopez’s 2024 premiere themed “Hecho in Hollywood” will take place at the historical Paramount Studios and will shed light on the contributions of Latinos in Hollywood.

“What I really want to focus on and emphasize is: ‘Who puts ‘hecho’ in Hollywood?’ These are Latinos,” Lopez says. “We are often the hidden, driving force behind so many industries and so many businesses, and we often go unnoticed.”

Instead of adding to the “not enough representation” debate, Lopez wants to “show the world what Latinos really look like in Hollywood.”

Because of his connection, he took over the sound stage at Paramount Studios. Desilu StudiosIt was co-founded by “I Love Lucy” stars and former couple Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.

“We were always in Hollywood. “Let’s emphasize who we are,” he says. “Let’s change and control the narrative to celebrate each other, to celebrate our past.”

Lopez enlisted Academy Award-winning production designer Eugenio Caballero to bring his vision to life. The Mexican creator is the brains behind “Pan’s Labyrinth,” “A Monster Calls,” “Roma” and Cirque du Soleil shows.

Caballero told TODAY.com that he was intrigued by Lopez’s quirky approach to Día de Muertos because it linked her love of film to “honoring the Latino community who fought in their trenches to help create this dream.” Hollywood.”

“Normally I make films, but I also like to do other projects to shake up my comfort zone,” says Caballero. “And Day of the Dead is personally the most important spiritually, but also visually (stunning). “Of all the Mexican festivals, this is the one that really attracts me.”

Tradition and modernity are at the forefront in Caballero’s gala works. Marigolds, candles, and sugar skulls will be included, but will be intertwined with theatrical techniques used in classic Hollywood musicals to embrace and unify the soundstage environment. It will also honor Mexican architecture with stages and decorations.

Eva Longoria will receive this year’s Premio Vida y Legado award. Actor Isabela Merced will present the Abuelita Award to her aunt Gloria Rojas in honor of her late grandmother and will perform the traditional Día de Muertos folk song “La Llorona.” Miguel will perform at the first after-party.

Throughout it all, Lopez credits Lita’s family for keeping their memories alive, saying she “had such a beautiful sense of togetherness and family,” and he incorporated that into his premiere.

“She passed that on to my mother. My mother passed that on to me,” he says. “That’s where all of this comes into play. I’m very interested in heritage and legacy… I want to make sure everyone feels like they’re a part of the premiere.”

This article was first published on: TODAY.com