Pink Candles at Ridgemont High: Mexico

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Friday, October 01, 2010

Las Catrinas

The other day, I went out to lunch with one of my good friends (she is also a counselor), who shall thereafter be nicknamed, Mi Firme Heina (MFH). It's a little inside Cholo joke with us. According to the Urban Dictionary, "Firme" is slang for "nice, hot, badass, and fine"! "Heina", if you haven't inferred already, means "beautiful woman" or it could also be a term of endearment when referring to your woman/girlfriend.

Check out some "FOR REAL" Firme Heinas here:

Except my friend doesn't look them chicks! She looks a lot better!!! Andale pues!

MFH and her husband the Lawyer (the one who, by chance, picked up me and TORC in Little Italy a few years ago, driving us to Pappalecco; see that post here), recently returned from a trip to Mexico. During their short stay in Michoacan and neighboring small towns, MFH picked up a little souvenir for me. The following pix were taken at her house before we left for lunch at Aladdin in Hillcrest. Set against the backdrop of her husband's bar and Tequila collection...

*Note - My comments below are in "yellow"

This is a "Catrina", which have their origins in the Day of the Dead but were created more recently in 1982 by Mexican artisan Juan Torres.

According to MFH, "We actually met him and he has always been facinated with death..."

"The catrinas are a human frame stripped of its pulse and dressed for a dinner party, for example.

Nothing can stop the festival of life, not even the specter of permanent decay (info from an article)".

"We bought our catrinas in a small colonial town called Capula, which is near Patzcuaro (a larger town) in Michoacan near Morelia.The dialect of many of the towns is from the Purepecha Indians."

Hey, where did that Barrel Man come from? Oh, why yes, that was from ME!!! It's the "Deluxe" version too because the arms rise up from the sides! Nice. I love that they have their Barrelman on their bar! A place of honor, I tell you!

"So, your catrina is a Soldadera, a female who supported the troops as well as fought in battle during the Mexican Revolution."

I thought my Catrina would look really cool against this recent issue of the SD Reader.

This catrina was MFH's - a piece of the front broke off so she temporarily taped it. The "trenzas" or braids" also broke off and will be glued back on later.