La Catrina is an icon of the Mexican Day of the Dead (Dia de Muertos). As an example of the Mexican culture mocking death, this is in the form and a name in La Catrina. In popular culture, La Catrina takes shape in many parts of Mexico and her attributes of elegance and demeanor stand out.
In a rich and live Mexican culture, La Catrina and is created by artisans all over Mexico.
One such place, where life-size papier mache Catrinas are designed and created, is in the town of Alpuyeca, along a federal highway in the state of Morelos, Mexico. A single Catrina is designed and hand made in a family workshop led by a mother-daughter team. The mother-daughter team design and create a diversity of papier-mache Catrinas. They develop a base model design to start, then coordinate in the art of constructing unique and diverse Catrinas.
There are various sizes, from over 1 ft. tall to over 8 ft. tall. There are diverse colors and poses. Each Catrina is incredibly designed and carefully handmade by the mother-daughter team. Each Catrina takes about a week or more to complete, from start to finish.
Each Catrina has unique colors, ornaments and embellishments. Customers can also pre-select the colors, jewelry and other adornments (such as bows, flowers, fan), pose and facial features. Each Catrina is unique.
The mother-daughter team have even had requests to create Catrinas that stand over 10 feet tall.
Interestingly, El Catrin (The dandy) is also created here and available to accompany La Catrina.
Photo credit: teepublic
Author: AllMexico.store
[…] La Catrina has become a Mexican icon during Day of the Dead. La Catrina originated as an illustration of an etching by José Guadalupe Posada. She is a very elegantly dressed skeleton, characteristically wearing a french style hat (chapeau en attente), with a feather. Her hat is like those used by wealthy women in Mexico, in the early part of the20th century. […]