A giant skeleton dressed in an elegant gown still dominates the landscape in the heart of Ixtlahuacan de los Membrillos following last weekend’s colorful Day of the Dead festival.
Standing 48.10 meters in height, the humongous Catrina figure was constructed by a crew of 200 people with 4.5 tons of metal, 500 kilos of resin and fiber glass, 600 meters of rope and 1,200 square meters of fabric.
It will remain on display at the central plaza through November 11. Backed by certification of a notary public, the town is claiming title to the world’s tallest model of Lady Death, beating out Zapotlanejo by a long shot. Since setting a Guinness Record in 2015 with an 18.77 meter statue, the rival municipality has increased the height its Catrina each successive year, raising it to almost 40 meters for 2017 with the attachment of a tree of life tapestry above the head.
The remarkable image above were both taken from a drone operated at ground level by Canadian lakeside resident Bernhard Sawatzki, who is fast becoming a specialist in this somewhat new field of photography.