The Mexican tradition of Día de los Muertos is usually celebrated with colorful altars, or altars, that families create to honor their deceased loved ones. But two Latinos decided to celebrate – and commercialize – to celebrate in a new way.
With the boom of cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens, or NFTs – unique digital assets that look like collectible trading cards – honest crypto investor David Galan, 40, saw a unique opportunity a few months ago to fill NFT space with purposeful art Inspired by the Día de los Muertos.
“We really wanted to do something different,” Gallan said. “The reason we chose Day of the Dead is because it means something to all of us.”
When Galan was 21 years old, his father Fernando Galan passed away at the age of 50.
“What it means to be a Mexican American has always been very important to my father,” Gallan said. “He’s always been there for me, no matter, ever since.”
Jalan co-founded Day of the Dead NFT The project, is a collection of 7777 NFTs. The project’s digital assets feature art heavily inspired by La Catrina, an Aztec urban legend – the image of the skull is popular in everything from food to clothing – a highlight during Día de los Muertos festivities.
He partnered with Armando Parrilla, 42, a graphic designer whose art has been influenced by street culture since growing up in Southern California.
NFTs provide users with verifiable ownership of items such as videos, photos, music, and more. It is powered by blockchain technology, a database that records data in blocks and links them together, making it difficult to change.
The ability to inject part of his Mexican heritage into this space attracted the newest Barilla to work with Galan and the rest of the team.
“To see people with our culture in this NFT space… It’s like, ‘It’s an opportunity. Is it breaking the barrier? Will it open doors for other artists from within our culture?'” Barilla said.
Parrilla said their digital art Día de los Muertos is attracting a strong and growing following within them. discord The community pre-revealed the NFTs on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Those who celebrate Día de los Muertos believe that at midnight on October 31, the souls of all deceased children descend from heaven and are reunited with their families on November 1, and the spirits of deceased adults visit on November 2.
The Día de los Muertos NFTs are just the first phase of what Galan, Parrilla and the rest of their team plan to create: an augmented reality world where users can visit virtual cemeteries that they can customize to honor their loved ones.
“This whole process has been really exciting,” Galan said. “It’s the impact and the fact that we are able to bring this culture, this beautiful thing that is part of our heritage, to the whole world.”
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