Randy Segura
Mural Location: 2775 Valmont Rd. Boulder, CO 80302 (Rayback Collective)
Randy Segura’s mural depicts La Catrina, perhaps the most recognizable symbol of Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). The holiday, traditionally observed on November 1 and 2, originated in Mexico as a way for friends and family to gather in celebration of those who have passed on. La Catrina, an elegantly dressed skeleton figure, serves as a reminder to honor our ancestors and pay homage to the ideas, customs, and activities that bind us together in life.
Randy depicts a woman with her face painted as La Catrina. He layers greens, blues, and purples upon her painted white face to create a ghostly yet beautiful skeleton complete with hollowed-out eyes and cheeks and a stitched mouth. She wears red flowers in her hair and larger red flowers surround her, evoking the floral wreaths worn by La Catrina.
The iconic image of La Catrina was created by Mexican printmaker José Guadalupe Posada in the early 1910s. Posada used La Catrina to criticize the dictator Porfirio Díaz and the upper classes who supported him during the Mexican Revolution. In the 1930s, the image transformed as artists like Diego Rivera depicted La Catrina as a way to reclaim indigenous iconography.
La Catrina further evolved over the 20th century and became engrained with celebrations of Día de los Muertos as women dressed up as the iconic figure. Mothers and daughters (and other family members) practice the ritual of dressing as La Catrina together as a way to honor their Mexican heritage and culture. The process also allows them to remember family members and ancestors who have passed, helping to perpetuate a direct relationship between the living and the dead.
About the Artist: