Celebrating Dia de los Muertos in Sparks

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) - A gentle hum can be heard throughout the entire bakery as dough spins constantly in the mixers.

Behind the counter at La Deliciosa Bakery, you’ll find Sparks resident Gio Gonzalez and his father Arturo.

The father and son team have spent the last month making thousands of loaves of pan de muerto for Dia de los Muertos.

“We’re making pan de muerto or dead bread, and it’s usually made to celebrate a Mexican tradition which is Day of the Dead,” Gio explained.

Arturo tells me that for their family, Dia de los Muertos is a celebration of life and a time to remember those they lost.

“It’s like a party,” he says.

“We set up an altar and put up pictures of our beloved and we fill the altar with all their favorite foods and all of the things they liked,” Gio says.

Pan de muerto is just one of those things at the altar.

Gio says the holiday brings everyone together, even his cousins who are far away in Mexico.

“We go on Skype or Whatsapp and we like to show each other our altars and how we set them up and stuff,” Gio said.

“I think that’s a lot of family connecting even though we are very far away.”

For those who celebrate, Dia de los Muertos is a lot more than just delicious bread, it’s a chance to remember those they loved.

“Maybe we don’t get to see them again, but in our hearts we know that they came back and at least had a taste of the dead bread.”

You can visit La Deliciosa Bakery on the corner of Greenbrae and El Rancho Dr in Sparks.

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