Visitors may bring printed photos and place them on the ofrenda on weekdays during regular zoo operating hours. (photo courtesy of the L.A. Zoo)

The Los Angeles Zoo and Plaza de la Raza Cultural Center for the Arts and Education are bringing back the Beloved Pets Ofrenda for a sixth year in observance of Hispanic Heritage Month and Día de los Muertos.

The altar gives zoo visitors an opportunity to honor pets that have died by adding photographs, drawings and other mementos. It will be located at the zoo’s front entrance plaza near Sea Life Cliffs.

Guests may bring their own printed photographs or create drawings to place on the altar. Zoo staff will also be available on weekends to help visitors print photos.

“I am thrilled we get to share this Mexican tradition with our guests for another year here at the Zoo,” said Coral Barreiro, manager of community programs at the Los Angeles Zoo. “For the last six years, our guests and members have engaged with the ofrenda, and it grows larger each year, which is a testament to the universality of the grief we all experience when we lose a pet.”

Barreiro said the memorial has become a way for visitors to connect through shared experiences of loss while also learning about cultural traditions associated with Día de los Muertos.

An ofrenda, meaning “offering” in Spanish, is an altar created to honor people and animals who have died. Traditional displays often include photographs, flowers, food, beverages and personal objects.

Día de los Muertos is observed on Nov. 1 and 2 and has roots in Mexican cultural traditions centered on remembering and honoring the dead.

The zoo’s Beloved Pets Ofrenda was co-created with Plaza de la Raza, a Los Angeles arts and education organization.

The installation will be open on weekends through Nov. 2 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., including Indigenous Peoples Day on Oct. 12. Zoo staff will be available during those hours to assist guests with photographs.

For information, visit lazoo.orgplan-your-visit/special-experinces/ofrenda.