A massive new landmark is taking shape at Fruitvale Transit Village in Oakland: a 34-foot La Catrina statue, trucked in from Mexico, is being assembled piece by piece. Once fully built, the towering skeleton figure, a symbol closely tied to Día de los Muertos, will face west, gazing out over the transit corridor that anchors the neighborhood.
The sculpture was created by two artists in Mexico, according to NBC Bay Area, which reported that it arrived by truck before assembly began at the transit village. A trailer carrying the sculpture was expected to reach Fruitvale Transit Village at 3411 E. 12th St. at 8 a.m., per Local News Matters, with installation beginning right after its arrival.
The Unity Council, the community development corporation that built Fruitvale Transit Village, commissioned the artwork specifically to mark Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, which falls on Nov. 1, the station's report notes. Additional details from Visit Oakland describe a broader coalition behind the project — the Unity Council working alongside Visit Oakland, the City of Oakland, the Mexican Consulate, artist Romain Greco of Artsumex, and cultural leaders in Mexico City, who together commissioned the piece for Oakland's 31st annual Día de los Muertos Festival.
Handcrafted in Mexico City, Bound for a Bay Area Debut
According to Visit Oakland, the sculpture was handcrafted by master artisans in Mexico City before making its journey north. The tourism agency says La Catrina is scheduled to make her Oakland debut at the Fruitvale Transit Village starting Oct. 1, remaining on display throughout the month before serving as the centerpiece of the Día de los Muertos Festival on Nov. 1.
An event listing from ma.to frames the sculpture's arrival as the beginning of the lead-up to the district's annual Día de los Muertos celebrations, a season that draws crowds to Fruitvale each fall.
Is It Really the Tallest? The Claim Is Contested
The station's report adds that the artists behind the Oakland statue believe it will be the tallest Catrina figure in the United States. That claim, however, is difficult to square with statues elsewhere in the country. In McAllen, Texas, a 36-foot La Catrina was unveiled in 2019 and was described at the time, per Border Report, as the largest such statue in the country and the second-largest in the world.
What Fruitvale Can Expect This Fall
Regardless of where it ranks nationally, the sculpture's arrival signals the start of Fruitvale's Día de los Muertos season. Visitors passing through the transit village over the coming weeks will see the towering figure take shape before she formally welcomes the community starting Oct. 1 and stands watch through the neighborhood's Nov. 1 festival.
