Capula Catrinas

The villages around Pátzcuaro are famous for their artisans. Back in the late 1500's, each of the various villages was assigned a particular product in which they would specialize (Santa Clara from a couple of days ago got copper for example, others got textiles, wood products, baskets, masks, toys, furniture, etc.). Today, we ventured to what has become the catrina capital, Capula.

In 1982 sculptor and painter Juan Torres created a clay catrina based on Diego Rivera's 1948 mural Sunday Evening's Dream. He also established a workshop in Capula and the artisans there have been cranking out a never-ending variety of styles and sizes of these skeleton designs ever since.

My wife was looking to purchase a catrina for a friend whose last one didn't make it home in one piece, while I was looking for a colorful photograph of these iconic figures. The result of my efforts is shown here (though I had many more from which to choose so compelling is the subject matter), my wife's is safely packed away in a box await the arrival of our friends.