Honoring his mother on Día de los Muertos
RUSSELLVILLE — When José Figueroa-Cifuentes lights a candle, he’s not just illuminating a wick — he’s keeping his mother’s legacy alive. A signature line of handmade candles in his Russellville shop burns with memory — carrying the warmth and fragrance of the woman who taught him to honor life by remembering those who came before.
The late Rosa Marina Cifuentes raised each of her children to cherish their deep roots in Guatemalan culture, Figueroa-Cifuentes said.
“I might not have been born there, but I know every little tradition — all the slang and cultural things that have to do with Guatemala,” he added.
Though Figueroa-Cifuentes was born in California and now resides in Florence, he considers Russellville his hometown since his family settled there before he was old enough to start kindergarten.
“We were actually on our way to Decatur because we had some family in that area, but according to my mom, when she saw Russellville, she just fell in love. It was a quiet town, and she wanted that peaceful lifestyle,” he said. “I grew up here and went to school here all the way to high school graduation.”
Figueroa-Cifuentes said education was important to his mother, and while she stressed gratitude for their new home, and encouraged her children to embrace a new culture, she also enforced lessons in their heritage.
A framed photo of Rosa Figueroa-Cifuentes is displayed at The Rose Market Candle Bar & Shop in Russellville. The shop is named in her memory.
“She made us speak Spanish at home. As soon as we’d walk into the house, it was straight up Spanish,” Figueroa-Cifuentes said with a smile. “She was like, ‘You guys are speaking English 24/7 outside.’
“She didn’t want us to lose her first language. That was her biggest thing. When I was younger, I really didn’t see the value of it. As an adult, I’m so glad my mom didn’t give up on me. She kept pushing me, and that is a huge blessing.”
Five years since his mother’s passing, Figueroa-Cifuentes continues to honor those roots by sharing some of the traditions, like his family’s Día de los Muertos practices, with the greater Shoals community.
One of Figueroa-Cifuentes’ most cherished traditions brings to his table some of the flavors of Guatemala. Each year, on Nov. 2, he and his siblings would watch and listen as their mother would recreate a dish called fiambre — a colorful, elaborate salad that featured favorite ingredients of late family members.
“This salad has a whole bunch of different things. It can have turkey, chicken, steak, seven different types of cheese, hardboiled eggs, you name it. We’ve added squash and corn sometimes,” he said. “Saying it out loud, it sounds kind of odd. I’ve never even thought about it, but it’s a beautiful plate. The way you place everything, it’s really a work of art.”
The dish wasn’t only for decoration, he added.
“My mom would turn it into storytelling time,” he said. “As she was preparing it, she would share her stories about my grandma, my grandfather, some of her siblings. My mom taught us to make our salad with that specific purpose. It was about expressing gratitude and honoring all those people important in our lives.”
The tradition helped Figueroa-Cifuentes feel close to relatives he had never even met before.
“I was 15 or 16 when I went to Guatemala for the first time,” he explained. “There were a few uncles I’d never met, but when I got there, I felt like I had known them my entire life. My mom was such an awesome storyteller. She loved talking and sharing every little detail, so even though I had never heard their voice or really had any idea of what they looked like, it’s just like I knew them.”
While those are traditions especially significant to his family, Figueroa-Cifuentes said he enjoys sharing those traditions and the holiday with others who don’t necessarily share his culture or heritage.
For several years, he’s hosted a program commemorating the Latin American holiday at his college alma mater, the University of North Alabama. This November, however, he’s taking that program to the Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts in downtown Florence.
“When I was at UNA, I was part of the student government and on a committee charged with cultural education on campus. That’s how the idea really came to be,” he explained. “The first time we held a Día de los Muertos celebration, it was a huge success. Bigger than I ever thought it would be just because of the meaning behind it. The more it grew, the more I realized how meaningful it could be, even for people who didn’t grow up in that culture. It gave them an opportunity to think of their lost loved ones and relatives in a whole new perspective.”
The holiday isn’t only reserved for honoring ancestors, he adds.
Some of the altars he saw fellow students create were constructed in memory of children or miscarried pregnancies, a longlost neighbor, friends, teachers and mentors.
“Even if someone wasn’t family, if that person was there for you, you keep their legacy alive by talking about them,” he said. “You can’t take credit for something someone else taught you, but you can pass along that same skill or trait to someone else through their memory.”
That spirit of continuity is a major theme of Día de los Muertos.
While death is an inevitable fact of life, Figueroa-Cifuentes said the practice helped him cope with grief. Though he may have lost people who greatly impacted his life, he realized the lessons they taught him will never be lost as long as he continues to share their stories.
Still, even that realization couldn’t quite prepare him for the death of the person he felt closest to on earth.
“Sept. 25, 2020, was the hardest day of my life,” he said, recalling the day his mother lost her battle to COVID-19.
Figueroa-Cifuentes could feel himself slipping deep into depression following that loss, but he clung to his memories.
“She always had a smile on her face,” he said a little tearfully. “My mom was my plus-one for all the events I had at the university. Everyone knew my mom, and she had this very loving personality. Everyone just fell in love with my mom.”
In the days leading up to his first Día de los Muertos since losing his mom, Figueroa-Cifuentes found refuge from his depression in preparing for the holiday. In taking up one of his mother’s favorite traditions — lighting a candle — he also found an unexpected opportunity in candle making.
“We would always put out candles and light them in front of pictures of our loved ones for a specific number of days. On Nov. 17, I perfected making my first candle, and I had made it for my mom. I spent like $80 on making the world’s smallest candle and was like, I’m never doing this again,” he said with a laugh. “But once I burned it, I felt this weight lifted.”
Transforming his grief into purpose, Figueroa-Cifuentes opened The Rose Market Candle Bar & Shop in Russellville on the fourth anniversary of his mother’s passing.
“I didn’t want to think of it as a dark, negative day anymore. I wanted to give that day new purpose. It was a new chapter,” he said.
Inside the shop, José helps customers create custom-scented candles — often inspired by loved ones. Some walk in expecting to buy a gift, he said, but end up sharing their stories instead.
“I’ve had guys come in here and start talking about their lives,” he said. “I’m not a counselor, but I’ll listen. Making a candle is very therapeutic.”
That connection between scent, storytelling, and remembrance is what Figueroa-Cifuentes hopes to share through his upcoming Día de los Muertos program at Kennedy-Douglass.
“We can make candles together,” he said. “We can customize the scents, and that’s what Día de los Muertos is all about — honoring those we love in ways that bring their memory back. Some people smell a certain scent and just freeze. They say, ‘This smells like my grandma.’” For Figueroa-Cifuentes, the event isn’t just about cultural education, it’s about creating a space for healing and joy.
“Every day, I think about my mom and my brothers,” he said. “But that day — that’s my little Super Bowl. Día de los Muertos is so much more special to me now. It’s a day I get to share all these stories about my mom.”
DIA DE LOS MUERTOS
THE HOLIDAY: The Day of the Dead is a Latin American celebration that honors the deceased loved ones of those who observe the holiday. Typically spanning two days, Nov. 1 and Nov. 2, in some Mesoamerican cultures, Día de los Angelitos (Day of the Little Angels) is dedicated to children, and Día de los Muertos is dedicated to adults.
ORIGIN: Día de los Muertos dates back to the rituals of ancient civilizations from Latin America—particularly, the Aztecs, who held deep reverence for death and believed in an interconnectedness between life, death and the divine.
MISCONCEPTIONS: Día de los Muertos isn’t a Mexican versión of Halloween, though the holidays share some similar traditions like parades and costumes. The Day of the Dead has become an integral part of Mexican culture, but variations of the holiday are celebrated in other countries throughout Central America and among the Mexican diaspora worldwide.
TRADITIONS: The ritual of creating an ofrenda, or altar, featuring offerings of food, beverages and flowers date back thousands of years to the Aztecs and Mayan people. Following colonization, the holiday has incorporated elements of Catholicism as well as Indigenous beliefs. Candles are often lit to illuminate the path for the spirits of the departed, and marigolds are left out on ofrendas and at gravesites because the scent and bright colors are also believed to help guide souls back to the world of the living for the night.
THE PROGRAM
DETAILS: Florence Arts & Museums is hosting a community program celebrating Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Guests are invited to explore the significance of the Latine holiday with activities like vela (candle making), creating flores de papel (tissue paper flowers) and papel picado (punched paper), ofrenda (altar) decorating, and more. The event will also feature Latine Art from the Kennedy-Douglass Art collection and complimentary hot chocolate.
WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 1, from 1 to 4 p.m.
WHERE: The Kennedy-Douglass Art Center Southall House, 209 E. Tuscaloosa St., Florence
COST: Free to attend and participate.
INFORMATION: Call 256-760-6379
THE ROSE MARKET
CANDLE BAR
ABOUT: Enjoy making your own candle or shop from a selection of hand-made products.
WHERE: 502 Jackson Ave. N. in Russellville
HOURS: By appointment
CONTACT: Call 256-320-3855 or go to The Rose Market Candle Bar on Facebook or Instagram or go online to https://therosemarket.shop/.
