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Abel Garza, left, and Meagan Garza walk by the largest\u00a0Catrina and\u00a0Catr\u00edn in the United States at La Villita in San Antonio on Monday. Standing at 38.5 feet, the Catrina and\u00a0Catr\u00edn are part of the historic district\u2019s Day of the Dead displays.<\/p>\n
Katina Zentz\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n
San Antonio goes big for D\u00eda de los Muertos \u2014 with giant painted skulls and a nearly 40-foot-tall catrina.<\/p>\n
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From the San Antonio Botanical Garden to La\u00a0Villita and Pearl, larger-than-life displays turn the city into a colorful celebration of Day of the Dead.<\/p>\n
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Where else will you find a garden of elegant lady skeletons called catrinas dressed in living plants?\u00a0Or a historic arts district where a towering catrina and her dapper gentleman counterpart, a catr\u00edn, overlook dozens of giant painted skulls called calaveras?<\/p>\n
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People walk by a giant skull called \u201cDulce Recuerdo\u201d\u00a0by Melanie Yve at La Villita.<\/p>\n
Katina Zentz\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n
Linda Lopez-George walks by a giant skull called \u201cWabi Sabi #900\u201d by Albert Gonzales at La Villita in San Antonio. The skull is one of 40 in the\u00a0Calavera Collection for the Day of the Dead.<\/p>\n
Katina Zentz\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n
That\u2019s how San Antonio rolls the bones for D\u00eda de los Muertos, the multi-day holiday honoring loved ones who have died.<\/p>\n
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ALL SOULS: How do you observe D\u00eda De Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead?<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThere has been a transformation in recent years of\u00a0D\u00eda de los Muertos, a euphoria of D\u00eda de los Muertos,\u201d said San Antonio artist Regina\u00a0Moya,<\/a> the talent behind the outdoor\u00a0catrinas exhibit at San Antonio Botanical Garden and one of five giant painted\u00a0calaveras at Pearl. \u201cSan Antonio gives you the opportunity to display it.\u201d<\/p>\n A giant catrina by San Antonio artist Regina Moya, one of eight such works by Moya\u00a0in her Jard\u00edn de las Catrinas exhibit at San Antonio Botanical Garden through Nov. 2.<\/p>\n Courtesy San Antonio Botanical Garden San Antonio artist Regina Moya at work on her D\u00eda de los Muertos skull for display at Pearl. The culinary hotspot will feature five hand-painted skulls or calaveras by five different artists, each with its own story.<\/p>\n Courtesy Pearl<\/p>\n Moya moved here from Mexico around 23 years ago. She said San Antonio strives to be the mecca of D\u00eda de los Muertos, celebrated Nov. 1 and 2. Traditions include colorful ofrendas, or altars, dedicated to the deceased; a sweet bread called pan de muerto; lively music; and, of course, lively depictions of skeletons that seemingly laugh at death itself.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Credit those fashionable cadaverous icons to Mexican political printmaker\u00a0Jos\u00e9 Guadalupe Posada. His most enduring work, the posthumous 1913 piece \u201cLa\u00a0Calavera Catrina,\u201d satirized Mexican elites as cartoonish skeletons beneath their\u00a0aspirational European fashions. Then in 1947, Mexican muralist Diego\u00a0Rivera revived the skeletal figure as a national symbol in his fresco \u201cA Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in the Alameda Park,\u201d which canonized\u00a0Posada and other famous faces in Mexican history.<\/p>\n Soon, la\u00a0catrina became a symbol of Mexican pride and identity, as well as an icon of\u00a0D\u00eda de los Muertos celebrations in Mexico and beyond. Meanwhile, the ornate sugar skull or\u00a0calavera de az\u00facar, placed at an ofrenda in the dead\u2019s name, likewise grew in iconography and stature as a Day of the Dead staple.<\/p>\n SAN ANTONIO EXPLAINED: What makes a proper D\u00eda de los Muertos ofrenda<\/a><\/p>\n And the skulls and skeletons just get bigger and bolder in\u00a0the Alamo City.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we\u2019ve seen is that San Antonio has evolved to become this epicenter of\u00a0D\u00eda de los Muertos in a way that we have never seen before,\u201d said Martha Martinez-Flores, creative director of cultural programming for Pearl. \u201cI think there is something to be said about making everything so big and almost magical.\u201d<\/p>\n Here are a few extra-large displays of that Muertos magic.<\/p>\n The Tower of the Americas is shown behind the largest La Catrina and El Catr\u00edn in the United States at La Villita in San Antonio. The skeletal figures stand nearly 40 feet tall.<\/p>\n Katina Zentz\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n Chef Johnny\u00a0Hernandez started the giant Day of the Dead skulls and skeletons\u00a0displays at La Villita in 2019. And it doesn\u2019t get bigger than 40 massive painted skulls and a towering power couple in their Dia de los Muertos finest. This year\u2019s super-sized display includes the largest Catrina and Catr\u00edn in the country, standing approximately 38\u00bd-feet-tall in La\u00a0Villita\u2019s Maverick Plaza. Meanwhile, shoulder-high calaveras dot the grounds in various themes by various area artists. Works include \u201cAmor Y Luto\u201d\u00a0by Vicente Apolinar, \u201cDulce Recuerdo\u201d\u00a0by Melanie Yve and \u201cThe Uninvited Guest\u201d by David \u201cEvil Dave\u201d Gonzales. All that plus a menagerie of mythical creatures called Alebrijes<\/a>.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Meagan Garza, left, and Abel Garza look at a giant skull called \u201cThe Uninvited Guest\u201d by David \u201cEvil Dave\u201d Gonzales at La Villita in San Antonio. The skull is part of the site\u2019s Calavera Collection to celebrate D\u00eda de los Muertos.<\/p>\n Katina Zentz\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n La Villita Historic Arts Village, 418 Villita St., dayofthedeadsa.com<\/a>, 210-207-8614<\/p>\n GOOD FACE: How an S.A. makeup artist helps bring life to Day of the Dead celebrations<\/a><\/p>\n Calaveras along the River Walk<\/p>\n \u201cSt. Michael Archangel\u201d by Carolina Flores, located along the River Walk across from Casa Rio.<\/p>\n Rene Guzman\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n The\u00a0Calaveras Collection continues along the downtown banks of the San Antonio River. Look for skulls at various river-level locations, which\u00a0include\u00a0Arneson River Theatre, Casa Rio, Home2 Suites, Houston and Losoya streets and Stargazer Bridge. Works include \u201cSt. Michael Archangel\u201d by Smithsonian artist Carolina Flores,\u00a0located across the river from Casa Rio, and the\u00a0cactus-themed \u201cResilient Love\u201d by Gabriel Garcia near Joe\u2019s Crab Shack.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cResilient Love\u201d by Gabriel Garcia, located on the River Walk by Joe\u2019s Crab Shack.<\/p>\n Rene Guzman\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n San Antonio River Walk, thesanantonioriverwalk.com<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cKaluza\u201d\u00a0by San Antonio artist Lucia Zambrano, one of five giant painted skulls or calaveras on display at Pearl for D\u00eda de los Muertos.<\/p>\n Rene Guzman\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n Pearl upped its annual\u00a0D\u00eda de los Muertos celebration by hiring five area artists to each paint their own personal story on a 4-foot-tall\u00a0calavera for a canvas. In addition to Moya, those skull artists include\u00a0Daniela Oliver de Portillo, Mauro de la Tierra, Manola y Maria and Lucia Zambrano. The painted skulls will remain on display through Nov. 3 and be part of Pearl\u2019s permanent collection. The skulls are a centerpiece of D\u00eda de los Muertos events at Pearl from 5 to 9\u00a0p.m. Sunday.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Pearl, 312 Pearl Parkway, 210-212-7260, atpearl.com<\/a><\/p>\n A giant catrina at La Gloria Pearl.<\/p>\n Rene Guzman\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n Skulls from the chef\u2019s Calavera Collection and related works also are on display at Casa\u00a0Hern\u00e1n Alta Cocina, La Gloria Pearl and other\u00a0Hernandez restaurants.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Casa Hern\u00e1n Alta Cocina, 411 E. Cevallos St., 210-225-1342, casahernan.com<\/a>; La Gloria Pearl, 100\u00a0E Grayson St., 210-267-9040, lagloria.com<\/a><\/p>\n GREAT TASTE: Chef Johnny Hernandez concocts a perfect day in San Antonio<\/a><\/p>\n One of several catrinas in the outdoor exhibit Jard\u00edn de las Catrinas\u00a0by San Antonio artist Regina Moya, on display through Nov. 2\u00a0at San Antonio Botanical Garden.<\/p>\n Courtesy San Antonio Botanical Garden<\/p>\n What started in 2023 with 10,000 marigolds has since blossomed into a fusion of culture and horticulture with Moya\u2019s eight giant\u00a0Catrina sculptures. The artist breathes new afterlife into the traditional Day of the Dead skeletons with plants incorporated into the floral figures, some standing up to 16 feet tall. Inspired by nature and Mexican sayings or refranes, each catrina is dressed in flowers and found objects that flow from their wide-brimmed hats to their giant bell-shaped gowns. Through Nov. 2. Included with admission and membership.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n A giant catrina at San Antonio Botanical Garden\u00a0with the Mexican\u00a0refrane or saying, \u201cNo\u00a0todo lo que brilla es oro,\u201d which translates to \u201cnot everything that shines is gold.\u201d The work is one of several by San Antonio artist Regina Moya in the garden\u2019s Jard\u00edn de las Catrinas exhibit, which runs through Nov. 2.<\/p>\n Courtesy San Antonio Botanical Garden A giant catrina by San Antonio artist Regina Moya with the Mexican\u00a0refrane or saying, \u201cAl\u00a0nopal s\u00f3lo se le arriman cuando tiene tunas,\u201d which translates to \u201cPeople only approach the nopal cactus when it bears fruit.\u201d The work is one of several in the Jard\u00edn de las Catrinas exhibit at San Antonio Botanical Garden through Nov. 2.<\/p>\n Courtesy San Antonio Botanical Garden<\/p>\n San Antonio Botanical Garden, 555 Funston Place, 210-536-1400, sabot.org<\/a><\/p>\n A giant painted skull or calavera outside La Panader\u00eda Bakery and Cafe in downtown San Antonio. The skull is one of seven on display at various La Panader\u00eda locations through November for D\u00eda de los Muertos.<\/p>\n Rene Guzman\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n The bakery chain has seven giant skulls spread across its five locations through November. Such works include \u201cEl Ocaso Sun Down\u201d by Lisa Curn at La Panader\u00eda\u2019s downtown location at 301\u00a0E Houston St., and \u201cLoter\u00eda Mexicana\u201d\u00a0by\u00a0Efrain Castro and \u201cVamos a Jugar\u201d by Sylvia Garcia at the bakery\u2019s midtown location at 2503 Broadway. Other locations include a skull at 8305 Broadway, another skull at 17030 Fiesta Texas Drive at La Cantera, and two skulls at 1011 N. Loop 1604 East in Stone Oak.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n La Panader\u00eda, lapanaderia.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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