6/23/2023 0 Comments Dia de los muertos skullDecorating the altars with skulls and flowers When artist Diego Rivera, inspired by Posada’s etching, painted her into the mural Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Park, Catrina’s legacy was solidified and she became the referential image for death across the country. As the poet Octavio Paz famously said, the Mexican “jokes with death, he caresses her, he sleeps with her, he celebrates with her she is one of his favorite toys and his ever-lasting love.” Posada’s comical lithograph of La Catrina was quickly adopted into this national consciousness. In Mexico, mocking or rejoicing in the concept of death has always been a way to make it feel more familiar. The image of the wealthy La Catrina in her big hat-historically, only the wealthiest Mexicans wore hats-was his way of showing that death does not discriminate against anyone, rich or poor. La Catrina was originally conceived of in the early 1900s by newspaper illustrator and printmaker José Guadalupe Posada, who was famous for his satirical cartoons lampooning political figures as skeletons and skulls, or calaveras. Today, she appears in paintings, window displays, and costumes all around Mexico during Day of the Dead festivities, but the playful figure is only about 100 years old. She represents something between the fear induced by her skeletal form and the revelry exhibited by the comical way she is typically portrayed, making her a perfect symbol of the Mexican holiday. La Catrina, the day’s most recognizable image, is a depiction of a high-society woman who has met her maker. Still, the integral design elements associated with iconic Día de los Muertos traditions evolve every year as Mexicans find new ways to celebrate and honor those who have passed. Today, the tradition is integral part of Mexican identity: In 2008, Day of the Dead festivities became the first cultural practice from Mexico added to UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Children delight at “La Catrina’s” beckoning bony fingers, shouting at the puppet masters to guide the skeletal figure closer for a peek up close.Įvery year in Mexico during the days leading up to November 1 and 2, people paint their faces as detailed skulls, build altars in their homes, and decorate central plazas with distinctive folk art to celebrate Día de los Muertos, the cultural celebration that can be traced back to the time of the Aztecs. ![]() Onlookers cheer as the macabre figure, dressed in a ruffled costume with a wide-brimmed hat atop her intricately decorated skull, veers toward one side of the crowd and then the other. A massive papier-mâché skeleton, puppeteered by professionals, looms large during Mexico City’s annual Día de los Muertos celebration, which sees a parade run along the capital’s main Reforma Avenue.
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