Faces of the Catrina Festival

La Catrina was designed as a political cartoon, lampooning the fancy, fixy, fashionable "riche." The message was that death is still a great leveler. No one gets off of this planet alive, so get over yourself! La Catrina and her partner El Catrine (dandy gentleman) have moved from ink on paper to three dimensions in clay. The figures come in sizes ranging from tiny to nearly life size.

Capula, Michoacán is the center of the Catrina culture. If you want an authentic Catrina figure, you have to come to this town. If you really love Catrina, you come to this festival, held in late October every year.

Street food at the Catrina Festival. Watermelon was the fruit of choice at this stand, but they also offered gaspacho, diced fruit in a cup, usually sprinkled generously with dried, ground chilis and lime.

This pottery vendor was taking the slow morning hours to extend her nap time. Note the pottery she is sitting next to. See the tiny dots making up the daisy flower patterns? This is a type of pottery particular to this region.

Catrina mural on the wall in Capula, Michoacán, a testament to how prevalent her figure is here. It's not just a Halloween or Día de Muertos thing here!

I raised my camera to snap a picture of the smiling golden lab mix when this boy stepped out of the door and onto the sidewalk. I gave him a question gesture ("Can I take your picture?") and he gave me a small nod. I raised my hand in the small salute that means "Thank you" here and he stepped back inside.

One of the many street dogs in Capula. Street dogs are almost ubiquitous in Mexico, but for some reason there are far fewer of them in Morelia (where we live) than there are in most towns.