A 33-meter Catrina in Mexico City sets a Guinness record — Der Spiegel

In Mexico City’s Zócalo square, Mexico, a Catrina sculpture more than 33 meters tall set a Guinness record as the largest in the world. As Der Spiegel reports, the figure of a skeletal woman in a purple dress is made of cardboard, fiberglass, textiles and steel.

Certificate for the city

Guinness World Records representative Alfredo Arista presented the certificate to Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada. The recognition of the record and the festive illumination of the central square officially opened the Day of the Dead celebrations in the capital.

The Zócalo was also decorated with around 70,000 orange cempasúchil flowers. According to Brugada, Día de los Muertos is an expression of resistance to oblivion and a reminder of deceased loved ones.

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Day of the Dead traditions

In Mexico, November 1 and 2 are considered, in accordance with local traditions, to be the days when the souls of family members return from the afterlife to visit. Altars, or ofrendas, are set up and decorated for them in houses and apartments. In 2008, UNESCO added this custom to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

A major Day of the Dead parade featuring people in costumes and decorated floats is also set to take place in Mexico City on Saturday. This tradition is relatively new: it was inspired by a scene from the James Bond film “Spectre,” and the event was launched as a tourist attraction in 2016. Last year, 1.5 million spectators attended the parade.