Massive Catrina Takes Over Mexico City for Day of the Dead

Catrina in Mexico City for Day of the Dead 2026

Photo: Secretaría de Turismo de la Ciudad de México

Day of the Dead has grown into the most beloved holiday in Mexico City, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors and prompting locals to take to the streets to visit ofrendas and enjoy the decorations. This year, one towering figure seems to rule above it all. A nearly 12-story-tall Catrina was installed in Mexico City’s Zócalo, the main public square, as if commanding the celebrations from great heights.

At 33.41 meters (109.6 feet) tall, the Catrina on the Zócalo square broke the Guinness World Record for the tallest Calavera Catrina figure. Behind this achievement, are months of tireless work by the artisans of Taller de Arte Xibalbá, who brought to life the detailed 90-ton work of public art. The entire endeavor required a team of 140 people, including paper artists, sculptors, painters, architects, engineers, and blacksmiths.

“We spent nine months planning the project, from the initial ideas to developing the engineering proposal—which is the most complicated part of a piece like this, since it had to be erected and reach a height of more than 33 meters,” Carlos Báez, director of Taller de Arte Xibalbá, told Once Noticias. “We wanted to create our own version of La Catrina, so we chose a floral headpiece to decorate our Catrina—it’s made of cempasúchitl flowers.”

Most of the Day of the Dead skeleton decorations found around Mexico are made of a papier-maché-like technique known as cartonería. While inspired by these paper-based figures, the creative team needed to blend these traditional crafts with modern engineering for the sculpture to withstand the elements. As such, the entire bone structure was first modeled in styrofoam. Later, each piece was made from fiberglass, which allowed them to install LED lighting inside, making the Catrina glow from within at night.

The Catrina, a depiction of death as an ornately dressed female skeleton, is one of the most common Day of the Dead motifs. However, this character wasn’t born into this holiday. Its original name was “Calavera Garbancera,” and it was created in the early 20th century by cartoonist José Guadalupe Posada. La Catrina was meant to mock the upper classes of the time, which followed European fashions and customs. But in death, minus their clothes and accessories, these people were stripped to their bones, signaling that death makes all people equal.

The Mexico City government had only planned to have the towering Catrina exhibited from October 29 through November 2, but the positive response has motivated them to extend its stay for a couple more weeks. So, now, it will be taken down sometime between November 13 and 16. To stay up to with this monumental artwork, follow Taller de Arte Xibalbá on Instagram.