PHOTOS: Mexicans parade as elegant skeletons, Catrinas, ahead of Day of the Dead
Mexicans paraded in the streets of the capital dressed as elegant skeletons Saturday as the country’s Day of the Dead festivities extend in scope and popularity. Thousands of revelers gathered at the foot of Mexico City’s Angel of Independence statue wearing costumes and face paint to imitate the dapper Mexican skeletal figure known as “La Catrina.” Some stayed true to character, with high-necked long dresses, while others channeled figures from Mexican folklore such as mariachi crooners in metal-studded black suits, Quinceañera princesses in voluminous dresses or scorned brides left at the altar. Skeletal images have abounded in Mexico since pre-Hispanic times. But in 1910, when Mexico was living under the exclusionary policies of dictator Porfirio Díaz , illustrator José Guadalupe Posada sketched the image of La Catrina as a tool for social satire.
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Mexico City: Performers in costume attend a Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019. The parade on Sunday marks the fourth consecutive year that the city has borrowed props from the opening scene of the James Bond film, "Spectre," in which Daniel Craig's title character dons a skull mask as he makes his way through a crowd of revelers. (AP)
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A performer in costume attends a Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City, Sunday. (AP)
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Performers in monarch butterfly costumes wave to the crowd as they walk in a Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City. (AP)
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Participants dressed as Catrinas perform during the annual Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City.f (REUTERS)
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A participant holds up a censer during the annual Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City. (REUTERS)
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A participant wearing a skull mask performs during the annual Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City. (REUTERS)
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A woman dressed as a Catrina take part in a Catrina parade ahead of Day of the Dead in Monterrey, Mexico. (REUTERS)
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A general view shows the annual Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City. (REUTERS)
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