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While San Antonio may not feel like fall yet, one of the season’s most recognizable traditions is already taking shape.
The San Antonio Botanical Garden has a new Catrina exhibit for Día de los Muertos.
That exhibit is spread throughout the Botanical Garden and was created by Mexican artist Regina Moya.
“This exhibit is called Jardín de las Catrinas, and it will open to the public September 15,” she said.
For those unfamiliar with Catrinas, the Jardín de las Catrinas offers some history behind what they represent.
“The catrina is a very, very iconic and important figure in Mexico,” Moya said. “It actually started as satire by an illustrator called Guadalupe Posada back in 1910 when Porfirio Díaz was president. So he used to illustrate these very elegant ladies that were dressed in the French fashion, but they were skeletons.”
The concept started there, but Moya says the meaning of Catrinas has evolved over time.
“For the public, that meant it doesn't matter how much money you have, how you dress, we're all going to die someday,” she said.
Moya said Catrinas also reflect a distinctly Mexican way of thinking about mortality.
“The way Mexicans see death is kind of like an invitation to laugh a little bit about our own mortality, in a good way, and celebrate death as a part of the cycle of life is, and also to say, ‘hey, while you have life, enjoy it,’” Moya said.
Halloween and Día de los Muertos fall close together on the calendar, but Moya says the traditions are very different.
“Halloween is supposed to be something spooky and where the kids have fun and dress up, versus Día De Los Muertos (which) is a celebration where Mexican people really believe that their ancestors come back to visit them that day,” she said.
This huge exhibit is a collaboration between Moya and the horticulture team at the Botanical Garden. Parts of the oversized Catrinas are made with living flowers.
“They just finished yesterday doing the skirts with live plants, and they are just a palette of colorful, live, beautiful plants,” Moya said.
She also transformed a round patio area into another installation.
“I transform that into a santuario (sanctuary) of monarch butterflies, and thousands of monarch butterflies made out of corn husks are just like fluttering around in strings, and in the center, there is a huge again 16-foot Catrina,” Moya said.
Día de los Muertos has become a major part of San Antonio’s cultural calendar, with institutions like the Botanical Garden more and more embracing the tradition.
“The Garden is always looking for cultural experiences for the San Antonio public, and they are very much supportive about all Hispanic heritage and roots, and they love to celebrate, especially Día De Los Muertos,” she said.
Moya noted that her artwork and her roots in Mexico can’t be divided.
“As long as my eyes can see, my hands can create, I will always show the world the beauty of my country,” Moya said.
You can see the huge Catrinas throughout the garden through November 2.
