Today at Pasadena City College, about 120...

Today at Pasadena City College, about 120 art students and Mexican artists will celebrate the dead.

They will commemorate Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, the Mexican holiday that blends the Roman Catholic celebration of All Souls’ Day on Nov. 2 with the ancient Indian culture’s acceptance of death.

Although the Christian tradition separates life and death, in the Indian tradition death marks the beginning of life in another world, with the dead periodically visiting the living.

At PCC, seven artists from Oaxaca, Mexico, will begin creating a sand mural at 8 a.m. in the courtyard in front of the art department, said Denise Lugo-Saavedra, who teaches Mexican art history.

The sand painting will be about 15 feet wide and 30 feet long, said Jorge Lopez-Garcia, one of the Oaxaca artists. He said the artists will put flowers and candles around the edge of the wet sand, make images and paint them with colored powder. It will take at least seven hours, he said.

At about noon, Lugo-Saavedra’s art class will hold a funeral procession around the campus, carrying banners, candles and flowers.

In Sexson Auditorium, there will be an altar for visitors to make personal offerings in remembrance of their loved ones. In the auditorium after the procession, Lugo-Saavedra and other speakers will discuss Mexican culture, religion and rituals. A Mayan dance and poetry also are planned. The event is free.