Catrinas are a huge part of Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) celebrations in Mexico. You’ll see them all over the place. Jan, whom I met in Guadalajara, took me down to Av. Chapultepec not far from Centro Guadalajara to show me all the Catrinas lined up along the promenade, she also took me to some other famous Guadalajaran sites around the area. I even got to cross the tracks that La Bestia uses. La Bestia (The Beast) is a name for the infamous train that immigrants from central and south America take to try and get to the USA. I guess it must take other stuff as well as I can’t imagine anyone pays a fare along the way.
One of the things that struck me about Guadalajara is that I think it’s meant to be the 2nd largest city in Mexico, yet there were so many places I visited, like the display of catrinas along Ave. Chapultepec, where it really didn’t seem that busy.
I won’t write much on this page, I’ll just note there’s lots of catrina pics, and a few other Guadalajara landmarks for you to look at. As Jan explained, the catrinas can represent many different famous people, or somebodies relative. You’ll see a lot of Frida Kahlo around.
The guy below is a tequila icy-pole seller. He had really awesome icy-poles – super-nomi! He put the ‘Zoopa’ into Zoopa Dooper (un heldo de Australia, an Aussie icy-pole, though not sure if it is also sold elsewhere).
Just to break up all the Catrinas, here’s the famous Minerva at Av. Vallarta y Lopez Mateos, Zona Centro. Below that are the Vallarta Arches, Av Ignacio L. Vallarta, Arcos Vallarta, which they decorate at Christmas time. Below that a statue on a pillar which I don’t know the name of.
And here’s a scary nun, a musician, an artist and other assorted catrinas in orange, black, green, purple, with parrots, paint brushes and other assorted things along Av. Chapultepec. Such a wonderful display of life and death. And these weren’t even quite all of them.
Kisses and hugs for Jan, ‘Señorita Mariposa’ quien es mi esposa ahora – who is now my wife! So now Señora Mariposa!
More Guadalajara and Mexico stories: Dia de Muertos in Tlaquepaque, Orozco Murals & Frescos, Palenque jungle pyramids, Mexico City Markets & Murals, and Pyramids of Teotihuacan.
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