At Art House Kids on Lincoln Avenue in Willow Glen, students, residents and local artists have built an altar to remember loved ones. The shop window is filled with images of deceased family members, paintings of skeletons and skulls, sculptures of animals and colorful decorations.

This is Art House Kids' first Day of the Dead celebration. The altar will be kept on display for two weeks.

Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is an ancient tradition celebrated in the southern states of Mexico on Nov. 1 and 2.

"We're both big fans of Mexico and Mexican art," says owner Marylea Adams. "As part of our classroom art programs, we include art history and cultural lessons. This was a perfect opportunity for us to tie this celebration in with Halloween."

Adams' partner and co-owner Julie Stover says it's important to teach the children about the cultures that surround them, especially in a place as diverse as Willow Glen.

"Día de los Muertos is a happy celebration, one that reveres the dead, conjures up beautiful memories and one that is celebrated in Willow Glen by many families," Stover says. "It is a beautiful, colorful and rich celebration."

Stover says that the children, ranging in age from 2 to 15, crafted and painted altars and images as well as brought items and photographs from home to include in the larger community altar.

Children, artists and local contributors will display their work in the front window of the building.

"We have asked the public to bring their own altars or photos to be included as well. The main idea was to show the general public what this holiday is all about," Stover says, "and including their families and photos brings their uniqueness to the altar."

The traditional holiday is celebrated over a two-day period with marigolds strewn on and around loved ones' tombs, families picnicking on the tombs of their loved ones, telling stories about the dead and making altars dedicated to the dead family members. Families also bring items favored by the deceased to their graves as reminders that they are not forgotten. Skulls covered in multicolored sugars as well as sweet bread are also part of this celebration.

This holiday is an ancient Mesoamerican tradition that evolved from the worship of the Aztec goddess of death, Mictecacihuatl. The indigenous people of Mexico believe that after a loved one dies, the individual continues to exist, not to be resurrected or judged, but to visit their families on Day of the Dead every year.

After the Spanish brought Catholicism to Mexico, the holiday melded with the Catholic All Souls and All Saints days and became a celebration of dead relatives.

"We keep our ancestors' spirits alive by remembering them and reminding our children about their lives," says Mitlapili Gonzales, head of the Aztec dance group based in North Willow Glen.

Gonzales says that the Day of the Dead celebrations have rapidly grown in popularity because of the numbers of Mexican-Americans in the Bay Area.

Those who celebrate the holiday believe there are three deaths in an individual's lifetime. The first death is the physical one when the heart stops beating and the body turns cold. The second death occurs when the body is lowered into the grave. The third and final death occurs when there is no one left alive to remember the deceased or his or her life.

"It's a fascinating tradition," Adams says. "The more recent the death, the bigger the shrine."

She says that during these festivities, people are not supposed to cry, but to celebrate the memory of their dead.

"It's a celebration of the dead and the living," oil painter Ann Artz says. She says that in this way, it's inclusive.

Artz is one of the Willow Glen artists who contributed a painting for the altar. She has taught classes at Art House Kids in the past.

"It's a nice metaphor of the cycle of life," she says. "As people pass on, others are born into this life. While the celebration has more of a death, sometimes gloomy and a little macabre motif, it's a nice way to make children aware of their own mortality in a not-so-scary manner."

"There is a seductive quality about the celebration and something the children are less afraid of," Artz says. "Oddly enough, it is a day full of life."

Art House Kids, 1043 Lincoln Ave., isn't the only venue for this distinctive celebration. There are several other locations celebrating the holiday.

River Glen School will have a Día de los Muertos Dance at Willow Glen High School, 2001 Cottle Ave., on Nov. 4 from 7-10 p.m. For more information, contact Lupe Lopez at 408. 267.1347.

Gardner Community Center, 520 W. Virginia, St., will also lead a procession through the North Willow Glen neighborhood in celebration of Día de los Muertos on Nov. 2 from 7-9 p.m. After the procession, the center will have music, food and Aztec dancing.

Pueblo Viejo, 1060 Park Ave., a Mexican imports store that carries rustic furniture and arts and crafts, will have a Día de los Muertos altar set up. Its sugar skulls can be purchased on Nov. 2 from noon to 5 p.m.

San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles, 520 S. First St., will also have an altar for viewing on Nov. 2 from 1-4 p.m.