Mexico has set a new Guinness World Record for the tallest Catrina statue, standing 33.4 metres tall — breaking its own previous record for the iconic Day of the Dead figure. The achievement was celebrated across social media at the end of October, as the country marked its most famous festival.
La Catrina, the elegant skeleton in a wide-brimmed hat, is the symbol of Mexico’s Day of the Dead, and the giant statue towers over the celebrations. The record is a point of national pride, and the joke online is that Mexico is now only competing with itself — breaking its own records, year after year.
A festival that keeps growing
Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos, is celebrated on November 1 and 2, when families honour their dead with altars, marigolds, food and music. The festival has grown into a major cultural event, drawing visitors from around the world to Mexico City’s parade and to the cemeteries of Oaxaca and Michoacán.
The giant Catrina is part of that growth. What began as a folk-art figure created by José Guadalupe Posada in the early 20th century has become a national symbol, and the record-breaking statue is its biggest expression yet.
A record with a punchline
The humour of the record is not lost on Mexicans. As one viral post put it, Mexico is the only country making Catrinas — so the only rival it has is itself. The 33.4-metre statue beats the previous Mexican record, and the next one will have to be even taller.
For now, the tallest Catrina in the world stands in Mexico, watching over the Day of the Dead — and waiting for someone, probably a Mexican, to beat it.
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