In the lead-up to this year’s Día de Muertos, Oakland has a new guardian keeping watch: a 34-foot-tall La Catrina sculpture, made by artists in Mexico City and trucked and erected here in the Fruitvale Village.
Reportedly the tallest La Catrina right now in the U.S. — such figures are traditionally made to celebrate Day of the Dead – the massive and skull-faced creation was commissioned by the Unity Council (among others) and fabricated by artist Romain Greco, of the art collective Artsumex. It will become a centerpiece at Fruitvale’s Día de Muertos Festival, taking place Nov. 1, which typically draws as many as 100,000 visitors with live music, Latin American art and altar installations.
Ballet Folklórico de Fremont High School performs during the official welcome ceremony for La Catrina, a monumental 34-foot sculpture handcrafted in Mexico City and installed in the heart of the Fruitvale district in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group
“La Catrina is one of the most recognized symbols of Día de Muertos, standing for remembrance, the celebration of life and the enduring connection between generations,” writes the nonprofit tourism group, Visit Oakland. “Designed with outstretched arms, Oakland’s La Catrina will serve as a powerful gesture of welcome and embrace — symbolically welcoming migrants into the Fruitvale community while expressing our shared values of inclusion, care, belonging and cultural pride.”
Details: On view at 3301 East 12th St., Oakland (next to the Fruitvale BART station); visitoakland.com/la-catrina