La Catrina 5 minutes of Spanish + Podcast (English version)

 

Hello, how are you? Thank you for being here.

 

Welcome to podcast number 250. We owe you something, don't we?

 

Yes, we owe you a story about a character who is always present during the Day of the Dead festivities.

  Audio

I'm sure you've often seen that mysterious female figure with a hat, made of ceramic or plaster, which is a symbol of Mexico. Isn't that right?

 

It's La Catrina. Today, there are many versions of this image of death, and you can find it in all the craft stores.

 

What is the origin of La Catrina?

 

It is an engraving created by José Guadalupe Posada, an artist from the state of Aguascalientes. He illustrated the literary calaveritas that were made, and are still made, for the Day of the Dead.

 

Literary calaveritas? Aren't they sugar skulls? Right?

 

No, they are ironic verses written on the Day of the Dead that refer to death, but in a humorous way. It is a Mexican tradition that dates back to the Viceroyalty.

 

Here are some calaveritas we made for Spanish in Cabo and for our newsletter subscribers.

 

But let's look at some vocabulary.

 

cerámica -                             ceramics

yeso -                                     plaster

artesanía -                             handicraft / folk art

sombrero -                             hat

plumas -                                 feathers

calavera -                              skull

calaveritas literarias -          satirical death poems

 

Examples of “calaveritas literarias”

 

Let's continue with La Catrina.

 

One of these illustrations was La Catrina Garbancera or Calavera garbancera, as he called it in 1910 when he presented it.

 

Garbancera, and why that name?

 

It comes from garbanzo (chickpea). Guadalupe criticized people who renounced their roots and pretended to act like Europeans. In other words, they forgot their traditions and indigenous origins in order to “become European.”

 

Above all, they imitated the French lifestyle. It should be remembered that Mexico had an emperor imposed by the French, Maximilian of Habsburg, so French influence was very strong at the beginning of the century.

 

Yes, a lot of money was spent on superfluous things like marble or desks while many people lived in poverty.

 

That's why La Catrina Garbancera had no clothes, only a hat. She was described as “bones” (meaning very thin) but with a feathered hat.

 

But now, La Catrina has a dress, jewelry, and more, right?

 

Yes, it was Diego Rivera who dressed La Catrina. Don Lupe died without seeing the success of his work and what it means to Mexican society.

 

He was a forgotten genius. He died alone and poor in a neighborhood of Mexico City in 1913, surrounded only by his skulls.

 

And when did La Catrina first appear dressed up?

 

In Rivera's work, Dream of a Tropical Afternoon in the Alameda Central, José Guadalupe Posada appears arm in arm with a strange lady wearing a hat and feather stole. Rivera himself is also there as a child, and of course Frida Kahlo.

 

This mural was for a hotel in Mexico City in 1947. It is currently in the Diego Rivera Museum. Thus, La Catrina became one of the most characteristic symbols of Mexico.

 

In 2010, it celebrated its 100th anniversary with grand celebrations, including a film. Along with the altar of the dead, it is a fundamental character of the Day of the Dead. It represents how death is understood in Mexico. Posada said: Death is democratic; in the end, whether you are white, brown, rich, or poor, everyone ends up the same, as a skull.

 

A little more vocabulary

 

Garbancera -                        “chickpea lady” (person denying their roots)

raíces -                                   roots (cultural origin)

tradiciones -                          traditions

orígenes indígenas -            Indigenous origins

Virreinato -                           Viceroyalty

mármol -                               marble

estilo de vida -                     lifestyle

superfluo -                            superfluous / unnecessary

vestido -                                dress

joyas -                                  jewelry

estola -                                  stole (shawl)

mural -                                    mural

vecindad -                             tenement house

festivities -                             festivities

altar de muertos -                 Day of the Dead altar

figura -                                    figure

símbolo -                                symbol

influencia -                             influence

ilustración -                            illustration

obra -                                      artwork

muerte -                                 death

 

Were you in Mexico during the Day of the Dead celebrations?

 

Have you ever painted yourself as Catrina or Catrín?

 

If you haven't, come to Spanish in Cabo next year for Day of the Dead and we'll paint you while you practice Spanish.

 

Thank you for listening to the podcast.

If you liked it, leave us your powerful like and thank you for listening.

 

See you soon.

 

Bye-bye.