Monumental Skeletons

In a workshop located in the FARO, they turn wire and cardboard into fantasies that evoke death. They have developed small and large scale sculptures and scenery using techniques such as papier-mâché, carpentry and wrought metal work, as well as polymers and resins to give different finishes.

In pre-Hispanic times, tzompantlis (skull racks) were altars where the skulls of those who were sacrificed in honor of the gods, or stone figures that mimicked them, were placed. The skulls designed by the Collective each measured 1.20 meters.

Two 12-meter-high monumental skulls also occupied the main square of Zócalo also known as the Plaza de la Constitución].

The structure included a huge 16-meter-high figure of Mictlantecuhtli, god of death, which we can see here between marigold flowers.

In the offering there were also references to other pre-Hispanic deities, such as Quetzalcoatl and Coatlicue.

Thousands of people saw this offering, which they entered through a colorful arch mimicking the entrance to a cemetery.

In the foliage of this Tree of Death, the Collective included elements of flora and fauna which evoked each pre-Hispanic deity represented in the offering.

The skeletons emulated some of the scenes drawn by the engraver, like this one depicting Don Quixote, the most important novel in Spanish literature, by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra.

Some 25 people worked together in the Colectivo Última Hora workshop, dedicated to preserving and renewing the Mexican tradition of papier-mâché sculptures.

And the image of Catrina, the iconic character created by Posada, to whom Diego Rivera gave a body in the mural "Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Central", had to be there.

The skeletons lit up the Zócalo for the days on which they were exhibited, and they attracted the literature-reading public.

The writer Octavio Paz, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, was one of the people honored in this offering.

The opening scene of the movie shows the monumental figures in a fictitious Day of the Dead parade in the streets of Mexico City's Historical Center.

Scenes were also filmed in Mexico City's main square Zócalo featuring figures that measured over twelve meters high.

The skeletons were moved like puppets, which shows the great technical and artistic skill of this group.

To commemorate the Bicentenary of Independence and the Centenary of the Revolution of Mexico, the Colectivo Última Hora made a series of devils that participated in a parade.

The devils were moved from the inside to make them look as if they were riding a motorcycle.

The Colectivo Última Hora continues to renew the tradition of the Day of the Dead through its artistic offering, showing that this legendary Mexican tradition can adapt and look to the future.