Las Galgas Catrina

In February I fulfilled one of my dreams: I traveled to Mexico City. I wanted to go since I was a child and I discovered the figure of Frida Kahlo. I was soaked in his history and work, so visiting his Casa Azul was a dream. I knew I was going to like Mexico, and more if my friends Marlene and Vicente showed it to me. What captivated me the most was the folk crafts they have: flowers, embroidery, strident colors ... and skulls. Paper skulls, ceramics, sweets, ... always decorated with hearts, flowers, stars ... A marvel! And I say wonder, because I found it fascinating as a symbol that I have always felt as something dark, that speaks of death, becomes something so beautiful. And then Marlene, she told me about the Day of the Dead.

It is the traditional festival of Mexico, of pre-Hispanic origin, which is celebrated on November 1 and 2. The popular belief is that the souls of loved ones who passed away return from the afterlife during the day of the dead. To receive them, an offering is prepared with the food they liked the most. These altars are decorated with flowers, confetti, candles, and personal items.

And you will say ... And why are you telling us all this? I liked the idea of positively remembering the deceased and talking about the character of La Catrina, who has become the official symbol of this party. It is usually represented cheerful and seductive, wanting to have fun. Curious in the case of a party for the dead ... right?

As I tell you, I loved it, and I wanted to take that tradition with me in some way to the other side of the Atlantic. I had already seen that skull popularized in tattoos and other accessories, but I wanted to take it to my land, and dedicate my dog version to it. I thought about how present death is in the reality of greyhounds, in which every year between 50,000 and 100,000 die or abandon, and were born Las Galgas Catria.

Las Galgas Catrina enjoy the night of the dead. 

With their mischievous, witty and flirtatious personality, they invite us to make fun of and laugh at death, in order to find the meaning of life. Moving the skeleton, they receive the rest of their species with a great party, saving many of them from the true hell lived on earth.

I drew these peculiar Catrinas wanting to remember those unnecessary deaths, which many galgueros practice as a normality. Innocent souls that fall into oblivion. My way of honoring and remembering them is with this limited edition collection. In it you will find postcards, veneers, martingale necklaces, bow ties Y bags silk-screened by hand. In addition, with direct sales from the web, a percentage is allocated to the association Baasglago, to help them continue saving lives.

Our muse Catrina that you see in the photos is Clarie. She was one of those gauges used for breeding non-stop, that as soon as it was useless they would get rid of her. Luckily, she was able to be saved while her mother Irene, whom I thank for having participated with Clarie in this very special collection.

On the return flight from my inspiring trip, I saw the Specter 007 movie. I leave you here the little piece that I saw many times in a loop.  «The dead, are live…» Happy day of the dead friends !!