Dia de Los Difuntos Ofrenda,  celebrated in November 2024  at Green-Wood Cemetery 

Karanakuy is a Kichwa word that embodies the concept of giving as an act of reciprocity. This altar invites visitors to engage through their senses, creating a space where the ingredients of Andean culinary traditions associated with Día de los Difuntos are arranged to guide participants in a process of honoring and mourning that culminates in the placement of a fondant efigy on the altar. The guaguas de pan, sweet bread figures shaped and decorated like dolls or items associated with the deseased, are brought on this date to the cemetery with colada morada (or its fermented version, yana api), a thick beverage made with fruits and spices, central to this rituals and celebrations as it represents the link between the two more elemental opposites, life and death. 

Inspired by guaguas de pan, visitors are encouraged to craft their own offerings for the altar by shaping fondant into doll-like figures or objects to commemorate their departed loved ones. Personal items such as mementos, photos, or flowers can also be left on the altar. 

At the center of the chapel, a large urn filled with yana api serves as an offering to those who have passed. Encased in leather and wool, the urn has been transformed into a drum, inviting visitors to play it. The resonating sounds echo through the silence of the space, creating a profound sense of connection that bridges life and death.