La Catrina: Mexican Icon

La Catrina is one of the most representative icons of the culture in Mexico and a character that cannot be missed on the Day of the Dead. This represents the attitude of Mexicans towards death: the big smile, the funny poses and the colors of the clothing, speak of the acceptance of this transition to a better place, and of the joy of receiving the dear souls who return for some days.

La Catrina is the Aztec figure Mictecacihuatl, the goddess of death. Her role was to guard the bones of the dead. During pre-revolutionary Mexico, La Catrina was used as a way to criticize upper-class society and specifically describe high-society women, who were depicted with skulls instead of faces because “the reduction of each person to bones, no matter the time, place, class or event, conveys the message ‘underneath, we are all the same’.