day of the dead figures

Artisan Luis Morales of Mexico crafts a magnificent ceramic Catrina to grace your mantel or shelf. Formed by hand from clay, her ensemble is carefully painted in red, silver, gold and blue hues. The elegant figure is based on a satirical etching created by Mexican artist José Guadalupe Posada around 1910-1913. With his etching, Posada poked fun at those Mexican natives who tried to emulate the fashion and habits of the European aristocracy. Today, la Catrina has become the instantly recognizable icon of Día de los Muertos (Mexico's Day of the Dead).

Turned out in her Sunday finest including picture hat and parasol, this catrina from Luis Morales will add color and culture to any place she is displayed. Formed by hand from clay, her ostentatious ensemble is carefully painted in blue, lavender, strawberry and fuchsia hues. The elegant figure is based on a satirical etching created by Mexican artist José Guadalupe Posada around 1910-1913. With his etching, Posada poked fun at those Mexican natives who tried to emulate the fashion and habits of the European aristocracy. Today, la Catrina has become the instantly recognizable icon of Día de los Muertos (Mexico's Day of the Dead).

Artisan Luis Morales of Mexico crafts a charming ceramic Catrina to grace your mantel or shelf. Formed by hand from clay, her homely ensemble is carefully painted in blue and orange with an ivory apron and black shawl. Her hair is braided and she carries a basket of lilies on her back. The elegant figure is based on a satirical etching created by Mexican artist José Guadalupe Posada around 1910-1913. With his etching, Posada poked fun at those Mexican natives who tried to emulate the fashion and habits of the European aristocracy. Today, la Catrina has become the instantly recognizable icon of Día de los Muertos (Mexico's Day of the Dead).

Mexico's Day of the Dead festivities are unlike any other country's, but skulls are part of the national shared imagery and are a favorite subject for artisans all year. After this hand carved copal wood skull from Jesus and Roxana Hernandez of the Mexican state of Oaxaca is covered in navy blue paint with tiny sky blue dots, it is further decorated on the tops and sides with circles containing geometric figures and curving lines. Yellow, black, green, purple, and pink tones are utilized to hand paint the fanciful designs. Around the blackened eye sockets are outlines in yellow and red; the nasal cavity is delineated in purple. Two straight rows of white teeth give the skull a sober expression.

Turned out in her Sunday finest including picture hat and parasol, this catrina from Luis Morales will add color and culture to any place she is displayed. Formed by hand from clay, her ostentatious ensemble is carefully painted in aqua, blue, purple and silver hues. The elegant figure is based on a satirical etching created by Mexican artist José Guadalupe Posada around 1910-1913. With his etching, Posada poked fun at those Mexican natives who tried to emulate the fashion and habits of the European aristocracy. Today, la Catrina has become the instantly recognizable icon of Día de los Muertos (Mexico's Day of the Dead).

Carved by hand from pinewood, this unique nativity scene is comprised of nine pieces. Jose Canil Ramos depicts the Holy Family with an angel, the Three Kings, a donkey and a cow. The figures appear as calaveras, literally "skulls," a popular theme in Guatemala for the Day of the Dead, November 2.

The angel's wings and Joseph's staff are removed for shipping, and cotton felt fabric protects the base of each figurine.

This highly unusual nativity scene set features the typical personages — Mary, Joseph, Jesus, Wise Men and angel, but all depicted as skeletal figures a la Day of the Dead. They are created by Juan and Carolina of Chichicastenango, Guatemala from pinewood and hand-painted.

Husband and wife duo Zeny and Reyna from Oaxaca grew up with the tradition of carving alebrijes (fantastical figurines of real and imagined animals); both of their parents were master carvers in that region's traditional folk art. Here they create a wildly colorful dragon in a contorted, acrobatic pose. The dragon is carved by hand from copal wood and painted in a rainbow of psychedelic colors.

Small parts are separated for shipping to protect from breakage.It is said that Oaxaca's alebrije tradition descends directly from Mexico City artisan Pedro Linares (1906-1992). When he was 30, he became seriously ill and fell into a sort of coma. While he was unconscious, he had a most fantastic dream. He was caught between the land of the living and the dead; the place looked like a forest and was populated with creatures with body parts belonging to different animals. The beings repeatedly uttered the word alebrije, and when Linares woke up, he recreated these figures in vivid colors using papier mache techniques and called them alebrijes . His work became famous and eventually influenced artisans in the state of Oaxaca who decided to craft alebrijes using traditional wood carving methods and according to that region's world vision.

The wise image of Frida Kahlo transforms into an elegant Catrina in this ceramic sculpture by Jorge Escamilla of Mexico. The artisan draws inspiration from the Day of the Dead celebrations and the region's iconic figures to create this unique artwork, whose hand-painted finish in warm colors and floral details evokes a spring essence.