Local artist Alejandra Trujillo brings Día de Muertos to Tucson Arena
Tucson, Arizona – Local Tucson artist Alejandra Trujillo captured the meaning of “Hockey in the Desert” when she painted the Tucson Roadrunners Mural at the Boys & Girls Club DEK Hockey Rink on Grant Avenue in 2022. Now, her artwork is helping the Roadrunners and the Tucson community celebrate Hispanic heritage.
Trujillo was born in Nogales, Mexico and raised near the Sonora-Arizona border. Her latest piece is a Día de Muertos-themed Roadrunners t-shirt, which will debut on Friday night for Tucson’s El Lazo game against the Bakersfield Condors.
“It was a big honor,” Trujillo said, “Because where I’m from in Mexico, Día de los Muertos is something that my family and my culture, we always make sure and practice – even if we’re not with our family or in Mexico.”
Día de Muertos, also referred to as the Day of the Dead in America, is celebrated on Nov. 1 and Nov. 2 to commemorate and remember friends and family who have passed away. Some of the colors and symbols associated with the holiday are featured in Trujillo’s shirt design.
“I wanted to incorporate very traditional elements of this time of year,” Trujillo said, “And the meanings that are prominent for us, who appreciate and know the culture.”
Her design includes the Day of the Dead sugar skull, using a roadrunner skull, an altar, and orange marigold flowers.
“It reminds me of all the important pieces from the holiday, but very Roadrunners style,” Trujillo said. “I also like incorporating little easter eggs or hidden messages. The marigold flower helps pass our loved ones from death to life when they visit us for Día de Muertos. And I feel like that’s very symbolic of guiding the Road Runners to victory.”
Honoring Mexican culture and the Roadrunners’ history was an important part of the project. She hopes her design helps expand her heritage across the Roadrunners community and the game of hockey to Hispanics in Southern Arizona who did not grow up watching the sport.
“Hockey is not something that’s very prominent in Mexico, at least where I grew up,” Trujillo said. “So, mixing Hispanic heritage and hockey, it’s kind of like mixing two good things and making them great. It helps promote hockey to maybe Latinos and Hispanic people who might not have been exposed to it before.”
Trujillo believes the Roadrunners embody how Tucson has more to offer than most non-residents realize, including a championship-contending professional hockey franchise with a passionate fanbase.
“We have a great team and it’s just one more thing to be grateful for,” Trujillo said, “Tucson isn’t just a die-hard U of A city, but it’s also a Roadrunners city.”
Tucson is a Roadrunners town because of the contributions from Hispanic communities to the team’s culture. The Roadrunners are proud to support Hispanic heritage every season through its El Lazo games.
The team’s ‘El Lazo’ identity is a continuing effort to embrace all that is Southern Arizona and the region’s history and culture. El Lazo, Spanish for ‘lariat’ or ‘lasso,’ is taken from the City of Tucson’s seal, which ties together the modern city and the historic area that is now Tucson.
Friday night will be the first of three Roadrunners El Lazo games honoring Hispanic heritage. The other two will be on Friday, Jan. 31, against the Ontario Reign and Friday, Apr. 18, versus the Colorado Eagles, the second-to-last game of the regular season.
