You’ve seen her – the fancy dead lady usually all dressed up with her hat and her flowers. She is Catrina and a relatively new cultural icon in the long history of Mexican icons. Created as a satirical commentary on the rich, Mexican artist, José Guadalupe Posada (1852-1913), created a famous drawing of a skull wearing a fancy woman’s hat. He named it ,or “her,” La Calavera de la Catrina.
The rich were less likely to succumb to the diseases and malnutrition that ravaged the poor, but they were ultimately no more immune from death than anyone else. Posada’s powerful, yet humorous, image of the skeletal rich woman, a dead woman who could not buy immortality, became the inspiration for the iconic figure you see today.
Catrina was resurrected by French artist and art historian Jean Charlot shortly after the Mexican Revolution in the 1920s. La Catrina soon gained iconic status as a symbol of uniquely Mexican art and now plays a significant role in Día de los Muertos festivities. She can be found in many forms in the shops around Mexico, from delicate clay figurines to paintings and masks. A perfect souvenir from your vacation!