Overview
- Observed on November 1 and 2, the tradition marks the believed return of spirits, with November 1 devoted to deceased children and November 2 to adults.
- La Catrina, first drawn by José Guadalupe Posada in 1912 as La Calavera Garbancera, began as social satire and gained wide fame through Diego Rivera’s 1947 mural.
- Scholarly accounts describe the festival as an evolution of Indigenous practices aligned to Catholic All Saints and All Souls, later reshaped in the post‑revolutionary era.
- Times Square will host a November 2 program featuring three monumental altars, five giant catrinas, and live Mexican music and dance.
- Additional U.S. activities include a calavera workshop at the Mexican Consulate in Los Angeles, a community altar in Asheboro on November 2, a paid night of altars in Chicago, and a free festival in Santa Ana.