In Pictures: Mexicans parade as fancy skeletons ahead of Day of the Dead

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A woman fancy dressed as Catrina takes part in the "Catrinas Parade" along Reforma Avenue, in Mexico City. Image Credit: AFP

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Mexicans paraded in the streets of the capital dressed as elegant skeletons (above) Saturday as the country's Day of the Dead festivities extend in scope and popularity. Thousands of revelers gathered at the foot of Mexico City's Angel of Independence statue wearing costumes and face paint to imitate the dapper Mexican skeletal figure known as "La Catrina." Some stayed true to character, with high-necked long dresses, while others channeled figures from Mexican folklore such as mariachi crooners in metal-studded black suits, Quinceanera princesses in voluminous dresses or scorned brides left at the altar. Image Credit: Reuters

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A couple dressed as Catrinas parade down Mexico City's iconic Reforma avenue during celebrations for the Day of the Dead in Mexico City. Image Credit: AP

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People participate in the annual Catrina parade ahead of the Day of the Dead in Mexico City, Mexico, October 26, 2019. Skeletal images have abounded in Mexico since pre-Hispanic times. But in 1910, when Mexico was living under the exclusionary policies of dictator Porfirio Diaz , illustrator Jose Guadalupe Posada sketched the image of La Catrina as a tool for social satire. She dons an oversized hat considered haute couture at a time when elite Mexican women copied Paris fashion trends and powdered their faces to appear more European. The implication was that the extravagance of a few who were accumulating vast wealth was killing others. The dictator was deposed at the start of the Mexican revolution, while the skeletal dame became etched in popular culture. "She's an iconic part of the death imagery of the Day of the Dead," said R. Andrew Chesnut, a professor of Religious Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University who researches Catholic death culture. Image Credit: Reuters

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A child with his face painted as movie character Joker participates the annual Catrina parade ahead of the Day of the Dead in Mexico City, Mexico, October 26, 2019. Image Credit: Reuters

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People participate in the annual Catrina parade ahead of the Day of the Dead in Mexico City. Image Credit: Reuters

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A girl fancy dressed as Catrina takes part in the "Catrinas Parade" along Reforma Avenue, in Mexico City. Image Credit: AFP

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Anki sits before he joins the Catrinas parade down Mexico City's iconic Reforma avenue during celebrations for the Day of the Dead in Mexico, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019. Image Credit: AP

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A girl is made up as Catrina during the "Catrinas Parade" along Reforma Avenue, in Mexico City. Image Credit: AFP

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A woman fancy dressed as Catrina poses before taking part in the "Catrinas Parade" along Reforma Avenue, in Mexico City. Image Credit: AFP

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People view the displays during the Dia De Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration in Los Angeles on October 26, 2019. The traditional Mexican holiday is believed to date back hundreds of years to an earlier Aztec festival. Image Credit: AFP

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A woman dressed as a Catrina dances during the annual Catrina parade ahead of the Day of the Dead in Mexico City. Image Credit: Reuters

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In Pictures: Mexicans parade as fancy skeletons ahead of Day of the Dead

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In Pictures: Mexicans parade as fancy skeletons ahead of Day of the Dead

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