La Catrina Garbancera, more than 100 years of history

The Catrina Garbancera was originally created by Mexican cartoonist José Guadalupe Posada in 1910 and emerged as a mockery of the indigenous chickpea sellers, who, being poor, pretended to be rich and belittled their origins and customs.

(Serdafu).- This illustration appeared for the first time in a flyer in the first years of the twentieth century, where the news of the day was given. Their clothing was characteristic of the French style hat they wore, Posada stated: “In the bones, but with a French hat with ostrich feathers”.

Over time the Catrina Garbancera influenced several artists such as Diego Rivera, who in 1947 gave her an elegant and complete outfit in his work “Sueño de una tarde dominical en la Alameda Central” (Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in the Central Alameda).

For this work, she was renamed “Catrina”. The painting depicts themes from Mexico’s history, such as the Conquest, Independence and Revolution. The central image of the mural shows Diego Rivera as a child and José Guadalupe Posada being taken by the Catrina.

Today, the Catrina is part of Mexico’s popular culture adorned with beautiful hats and flowers, she has become the symbol of the Day of the Dead celebration and a source of inspiration for many, both inside and outside Mexico.

TYT Newsroom