Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – From October 27 through November 3, Puerto Vallarta will be celebrating one of Mexico’s most beloved traditions, El Día de Los Muertos. This year, in addition to the exhibition of altars and catrinas on the Malecón, main square, and municipal presidency, the city is looking to break the current Guinness record for the ‘World’s Largest Catrina.’
Intent on preserving Mexico’s traditions the Puerto Vallarta municipal government, together with various neighborhood associations, hotels and businesses, is organizing a series of frightfully fun Day of the Dead activities and exhibitions on the Malecón, in the downtown area, and in parks, plazas and public spaces throughout the municipality.
The director of Municipal Tourism and Economic Development, José Ludvig Estrada Virgen, who coordinates the organization of the Day of the Dead Festival, confirmed that they already have everything ready for the exhibitions in El Centro, so now they are in El Pitillal working on the world-record-breaking Catrina they will erect on the Malecón. (The current record is held by Zapotlanejo, Jalisco, with 18 meters.)
“On October 27th the 25-meter-high Catrina will be on the Malecón for all to see. We already have all the palm trees sponsored by hotels and businesses, who participate by buying and designing the catrinas. We are also working on the altars, in coordination with the Vallarta Institute of Culture, so that tourists and locals can take away a great experience of our traditions,” Estrada Virgen said.
He recalled that, last year, an almost 16-meter-tall Catrina overlooked the 20 other large catrinas that were installed on the Puerto Vallarta Malecón as part of the city’s Day of the Dead celebrations. These, along with the Ofrendas (altars that honor the dearly departed) that were displayed in the Plaza Principal and Municipal Presidency, were widely photographed and disseminated world-wide via social media.
“That is something very good for the destination. I think that if we continue working on breaking the Guinness World Record it will bring more press [to Puerto Vallarta] and diffusion [of Mexico’s traditions],” the tourism director concluded.
Source: Tribuna de La Bahía
