This week, in the heart of Mexico City, a giant smiling skeleton lady rose above the great public square called the Zócalo. She wears a flowing embroidered gown and handmade jewelry, and at night her bones glow from the inside.
On Thursday, October 29, she became a world record holder. And behind all that size and sparkle is something every family understands: the wish to never forget the people we love.
A Record Nearly 110 Feet Tall
At a ceremony in the Zócalo, Guinness World Records judge Alfredo Arista presented a certificate to Mexico City’s head of government, Clara Brugada, recognizing the sculpture as the largest monumental Catrina in the world. Mexico’s Excélsior newspaper reported an official height of 33.411 meters, or about 110 feet.
Before the record was confirmed, SDPnoticias reported that the previous mark was a 28-meter Catrina in the Mexican state of Jalisco.
The work behind her is remarkable. According to SDPnoticias:
- Planning began back in January.
- About 180 people worked on it, including artists, engineers, architects, blacksmiths, papier-mâché artisans and painters.
- She stands on a steel frame, held steady by 90 tonnes of concrete.
- Her body is made of translucent, water-resistant fiberglass, lit from within.
- Her dress uses about 3,500 meters of fabric decorated with hand-embroidered traditional designs.
- Final assembly with cranes took nine days.
Excélsior credits the Taller de Arte Xibalbá, led by Carlos Camilo Báez, with creating the figure. More than 100 city workers also installed the lighting around the square.
Who Is La Catrina?
La Catrina began as a drawing by the Mexican printmaker José Guadalupe Posada. His “Calavera Catrina,” or “Elegant Skull,” is widely seen as gentle mockery of wealthy people who copied European fashions. The message was simple: no matter how fancy we dress, we are all the same in the end.
Decades later, the famous painter Diego Rivera placed her in a large mural in 1946 and 1947, and she became a beloved symbol of Mexico.
This year’s giant offering in the Zócalo is dedicated to Posada himself. At the ceremony, Brugada spoke about how Posada used humor to point out inequality, and said that money should never make some people seem better than others. That is a lesson Scripture teaches too.
A Season for Remembering
The Catrina sits on top of a huge ofrenda, an altar of remembrance, which was open free to the public from October 29 to November 2. Excélsior reports it also includes 66 painted artworks of the axolotl, a salamander found in Mexico’s lakes.
Mexico’s Day of the Dead falls during the Christian season of All Saints’ Day on November 1 and All Souls’ Day on November 2. In Mexico, November 1 is traditionally set aside to remember children who have died, and November 2 for adults.
UNESCO added the celebration to its list of the world’s Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2008. It describes families laying out flower petals and candles, and cooking the favorite dishes of loved ones who have passed away. Homes and graves glow orange with cempasúchil marigolds, and many families share pan de muerto, a sweet bread often decorated to look like crossed bones.
Brugada summed up the spirit of the season this way: “El Día de Muertos es sin duda una rebelión amorosa contra el olvido.” In English: “The Day of the Dead is without a doubt a loving rebellion against forgetting.”
On Saturday, October 31, the city held its tenth Grand Day of the Dead Parade, with more than 4,000 participants and 12 floats, according to The Rio Times.
What Our Families Can Take From This
Different cultures remember loved ones in different ways. For Christian families, remembering is filled with hope, because we trust that God holds those we have lost. Whatever our traditions, there is something beautiful in a whole city stopping to say: these people mattered, and we still love them.
Here are a few simple ways to remember together this week:
- Look through old photos with your children and tell one story about each person.
- Cook a grandparent’s favorite recipe and talk about them over dinner.
- Write a short thank-you prayer for the people who shaped your family’s faith.
- Visit or call someone who is grieving this season.
The Apostle Paul knew how good it is to treasure the people God puts in our lives:
“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you” (Philippians 1:3, KJV)
Through every storm, we rise together, and we carry the love of those who went before us.
Who is someone you are remembering and thanking God for this season? Share their story in the comments.
Sources: Excélsior, “La Catrina más alta del mundo ilumina el Zócalo por el Día de Muertos” (Oct 29, 2026); SDPnoticias, “Una catrina de 32 metros se alza en el Zócalo y va por el récord Guinness” (Oct 29, 2026); El Momento, “CDMX rompe Récord Guinness con la Catrina más grande del mundo” (Oct 29, 2026); The Rio Times, “Día de Muertos 2026 in Mexico City” (updated Oct 27, 2026); UNESCO, “Indigenous festivity dedicated to the dead”; Wikipedia, “Day of the Dead”; Philippians 1:3, KJV
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