Giant skeletons decorate Mexican city for Day of the Dead

Atlixco, Mexico, Oct 22 (EFE).- Ten towering papier-mache skeletons have been erected in this city in the central Mexican state of Puebla ahead of the Nov. 1-2 observance of Day of the Dead.

Created by a team of eight local artists, the skeletons, which range in height from 5-8 m (16-26 ft), are placed in symbolically important locations throughout Atlixco, a city of 125,000.

In women’s clothing and with their heads covered by bonnets, the figures are known as Catrinas from the feminine form of a slang term for a dandy.

Set to run through Nov. 6, Atlixco’s Valley of Catrinas exposition offers a two-hour walking tour of the installations, complete with signage indicating the best vantage points for snapping photos.

Rooted in indigenous practices that go back thousands of years, the Day of the Dead has absorbed some Christian elements and the observance coincides with the Catholic holidays of All Saints Day and All Souls Day.

The phenomenon has attracted the attention of cinema. The 2017 animated film “Coco” has a plot inspired by the Day of the Dead, while the 2015 James Bond flick “Spectre” includes a sequence of 007 thwarting an attempted assassination during a Day of the Dead procession in Mexico City.

Traditionally, Mexican families flock to cemeteries, erecting makeshift altars that are piled high with food for a feast in honor of departed loved ones. EFE ggg/dr