"Catrinas" (and "Catrines") of the City Unite!

 Last Sunday another major Day of the Dead event was held... "La Mega-Procesión de las Catrinas".  Thousands of participants dressed as "catrinas" (and the male counterpart "catrines") paraded from the Independence Monument, down the Paseo de la Reforma, through the Historic Center to the main plaza, the Zócalo.  They all have their faces painted to appear as skeletons and are elaborately costumed.

Two years ago, Alejandro and I went to the Paseo de la Reforma in the afternoon and took pictures of the "catrinas" and "catrines" who were assembling for the procession.  We decided that we got much better photos than if we had stayed for the procession later in the evening.  We decided to do the same thing this year, and we got a ton of pictures of people who were going to be in the parade and others who were simply dressed for the occasion.

Along the Paseo de la Reforma there were scores of make-up artists who set up their stands to paint the faces of participants and spectators.

These women are dressed as the classic "catrina", elegantly attired with a big feathered hat.

The idea of the "catrina" began with a drawing done by printmaker José Guadalupe Posada in the early 20th century.  It pictured a skeleton wearing a wide-brimmed plumed hat.  It satirized the upper-class women of Mexico who imitated the latest fashions from Paris.  But rich or poor, we are all going to end up the same.

This fellow in his top hat is the classic "catrín".

The word "catrín" or "catrina" means a fashionably dressed person.

The participants have gone beyond the dictionary meaning of the word and are dressed in a wide variety of costumes.  Here are some of the "catrinas" and "catrines" assembled along the Paseo de la Reforma.

Even some of the street vendors had painted their faces for the occasion.

The lanes of the Paseo de la Reforma that were going to be used for the procession had already been blocked off with barricades.  Decorated vehicles and large skeleton figures were moving into place.

But we weren't done yet!