Catrina, Catarina

Today during a guided tour of the nearby city Guanajuato, our cultural ignorance finally ended regarding the skeleton female figure that dominates store windows, museums, artwork, t-shirts, mugs, etc.

First of all, she has a name. Catrina. 

Catrina in Mural

Our Guanajuato guide, Dali, introduced us to Catrina as he described a replica of the famous mural Sueño de Una Tarde Dominical en la Alameda Central (Dream of a Sunday afternoon along Central Alameda) in the Diego Rivera Museum.  Catrina is pictured in the mural with a small boy to her right which is a representation of the artist Diego Rivera.

Original Catrina

The image of Catrina was originally designed around 1910 - 1912 by lithographer José Guadalupe Posada. It was then known as La Calavera Catrina ('Dapper Skeleton', 'Elegant Skull'). Posada’s intent was to present a satirical portrait of Mexicans who were aspiring to adopt European (especially French) aristocratic traditions. Catrina has come to symbolize El Día de los Muertos and the Mexican willingness to laugh at death itself. Death is a neutralizing force; everyone is equal in the end, and sometimes people need to be reminded of that.

In Diego Rivera’s 1947 mural, the Elegant Skull acquired a body and stylish accouterments.  Catrina is now a staple in Mexican culture.  She is a starring figure in Day of the Dead rituals.  She is also a general cultural icon represented in many forms of dress and adornment.

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge