La Catrina, popularized through José Guadalupe Posada‘s art, is emblematic of Día de Muertos. Typically, she’s dressed in a large sombrero and voluminous dress, and through Posada’s work, she came to criticize the upper crust. Between 1976 and 1910 – aka the Porfiriato – La Catrina was used to denounce the rich’s hypocrisy, the corrupt government and the power imbalance. But, as Regina Marchi, a journalism professor at Rutgers University, noted, these messages have “been lost between the general public.” Instead, now, La Catrina is a symbol of “unity, distinction and cultural pride” for Mexicans living in the United States.
Recently, Mattel unveiled its new La Catrina-inspired doll. While many were excited for the Barbie, plenty of others criticized the company for capitalizing on a holiday so tied to Mexican, and specifically Indigenous, culture. Regardless of where you stand, we scoured the internet to find you some other alternatives. Check them out below.
