Albuquerque Public Schools
Burning Away Glooms: A Mission Avenue Tradition
Fifth graders blend culture, engineering, and creativity to bring Zozobra to life and unite the school community.
The Burning of Zozobra is an annual cultural tradition in New Mexico in which a marionette known as Old Man Gloom is burned to get rid of our gloom. At Mission Avenue Elementary School, this tradition began about five years ago with Mr. Avila, Mrs. Martindale, and Ms. Lozoya. Although these teachers are no longer at Mission, the meaningful tradition they created lives on.
Each year, Mission Avenue’s fifth graders learn about the origins of Zozobra and make their very own marionette. Students learn the vocabulary, write essays on the history, artists and meaning of the celebration. They practice taking notes, sequencing and the writing process, providing an engaging introduction to fifth-grade ELA.
During art class, students work together to design and make posters promoting the schoolwide event. Applying the engineering design process, they plan, craft, assemble and hone their own Zozobra sculptures using repurposed materials. Working in specialized construction teams—each dedicated to building a specific component, such as the head, torso, limbs or supporting pedestal—students then join the pieces to complete the full sculpture.
Additionally, this activity advances social-emotional learning and aligns directly with APS Goal 4. The ritual of burning Zozobra offers students a meaningful outlet to recognize, articulate, and shed their personal worries and glooms. After gathering gloom notes from across the school, students place them within the sculpture and watch as it ignite, symbolizing the release of those burdens and welcoming a clean slate.
The tradition has truly inspired one third grader, Benjamin Gottlieb-Saavedra, to the point that he entered his artwork into Zozofest this year. He also created a Zozobra drawing tutorial for the students at Mission Avenue to have a fun draw-along before the event.
Zozobra is a Mission Avenue tradition, one that brings together culture, academics, art, engineering, social-emotional learning and the entire school community.
About APS Community Schools
With almost 70 Community Schools across the district, APS and the ABC Community School Partnership are building a network of schools that serve as community hubs. By weaving together rigorous classroom instruction, expanded learning opportunities, integrated support systems, and the voices of families and students in decision-making, these schools create conditions where every child can learn, grow and thrive.