Catrina
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La Calavera de la Catrina is a 1913 zinc etching by Mexican printmaker José Guadalupe Posada. The image has since become a staple of Mexican imagery, and often is incorporated into artistic manifestations of the Day of the Dead in November, such as altars and calavera costumes. The etching was part of his series of calaveras, which were humorous images of contemporary figures depicted as skeletons, which often were accompanied by a poem.
The word catrina is the feminine form of the word catrín, which means "elegant". The figure, depicted in an ornate hat fashionable at the time, is intended to show that the rich and fashionable, despite their pretensions to importance, are just as susceptible to death as anyone else.
Two Catrina figurines, shown to the left, each approximately 38 cm (15 in) tall, are among the collection in the City Museum of León, Guanajuato, Mexico. Popularized by José Guadalupe Posada, this Catrina is the skeleton of an upper class woman and one of the most popular figures of the Day of the Dead celebrations, which occur during two days, November 1 and November 2, corresponding with the Catholic holy days of All Saints Day and All Souls Day. Although these holy days have a long cultural history reaching into the prehistoric traditions of several European cultures, many aspects of the Mexican festival have indigenous origins in an Aztec festival dedicated to the goddess Mictecacihuatl, who is represented by the Catrina. After the conquest of Mexico, the Spanish superimposed their cultural traditions upon the similar Aztec festival and a synthesis occurred.
La Catrina, as it is commonly known, was a popular print in Posada's day, but soon faded from the popular memory. Along with the rest of Posada's prints, it was revived 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 was reproduced en masse.
The image was incorporated into Diego Rivera's mural Dream of a Sunday in Alameda Park, which also includes images of his wife Frida Kahlo, Posada, and a self portrait of Rivera. In addition to its use as a holiday symbol for the Day of the Dead, the image also has been reinterpreted in numerous forms, including sculpture.
In the animated series El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera, the design of Sartana of the Death was inspired by Catrina.
In the Mexican Cartoon Network TV spots for Day of the Death, Catrina is depicted as being Grim's sister from The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy.
- Miliotes, Diane. Jose Guadalupe Posada and the Mexican Broadside (Art Institute of Chicago).
