The Mexican tradition of Día de los Muertos is usually celebrated with colorful ofrendas, or altars, that families create to honor their deceased loved ones. But two Latinos decided to mark — and market — the celebration in a new way.
With the boom in cryptocurrency and non-fungible tokens, or NFTs — unique digital assets that are similar to collectible trading cards —avid crypto investor David Galan, 40, saw a unique opportunity a few months ago to fill the NFT space with meaningful art inspired by Día de los Muertos.
“We really wanted to do something that was different,” Galan said. “The reason we choose the Day of the Dead is that it means something to all of us.”
When Galan was 21, his father, Fernando Galan, died at age 50.
“What it means to be Mexican American was always very important for my father,” Galan said. “He’s always been there for me, regardless, ever since.”
Galan co-founded the Day of the Dead NFT project, a collection of 7,777 NFTs. The digital assets for the project feature art heavily inspired by La Catrina — the skull image derived from an Aztec legend that is popular in everything from food to clothing — that is prominent during Día de los Muertos celebrations.
He partnered with Armando Parrilla, 42, a graphic designer whose art is influenced by street culture from his upbringing in Southern California.
NFTs provide users with verifiable ownership of items such as videos, images, music and more. They are powered by blockchain technology, a database that records data in blocks and chains them together, making it difficult to be altered.
The ability to inject part of his Mexican heritage into this newer space attracted Parrilla 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 a chance. Is it breaking a barrier? Is it going to open doors for other artists from…
