Before the Denver Broncos kicked off against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, a fan from central Mexico stood outside the stadium dressed as La Catrina, the iconic skeletal figure of Día de los Muertos, but with a twist: her dress was navy blue, covered in cempasúchil marigolds and stitched with Broncos logos. Geraldine Martinez had flown in from her home in Atlacomulco, Mexico to bring the moment to life.
Martinez appeared as the Broncos-themed Catrina on Nov. 1, just ahead of Denver's matchup with Kansas City, according to the Denver Gazette. The team arranged the custom Charro-style dress along with makeup artists and a headpiece for the occasion, the paper reports. Día de los Muertos is traditionally observed on Nov. 1 and honors the souls of departed loved ones, a tradition Martinez carried into Broncos orange and blue.
Martinez grew up in Atlacomulco watching NFL Español broadcasts with her family, and she became a Broncos fan even though her father rooted for the Cowboys, the Gazette's reporting shows. These days she creates digital video content in collaboration with Broncos en Español and also produces content about Toluca FC, the Mexican soccer club. Her social media following sits at roughly 69,000 across platforms, per the same report.
From Mexico City Invitation to a Denver Encore
Martinez's path to the Denver sideline started in Mexico City. Broncos en Español first contacted her to take part in a game-day Catrina appearance there, and the team later asked her to do it again in Denver, an invitation she described as overwhelming. She told the outlet she was honored to be asked the first time and stunned to be asked to repeat the role on the Broncos' home turf.
While in Denver, Martinez also showcased Día de los Muertos traditions, posed for photos and supported the Broncos Libre community tailgate, the Gazette notes. She also met Broncos co-owner Carrie Walton Penner during the trip. Martinez said being a Broncos fan gives her pride and has let her meet wonderful people along the way.
A Fan Base the Broncos Have Courted for a Decade
The appearance fits into a much larger relationship between the Broncos and their fans south of the border. The team has its second-largest fan base concentrated in Mexico, primarily in Mexico City, according to the Gazette's reporting. That outreach is not new: the Broncos began expanding efforts to connect with Mexican fans in 2016 after identifying Mexico City as home to their largest concentration of Hispanic fans outside Colorado, according to Front Office Sports.
At the time that outreach ramped up, about 410,000 people, or 10% of the team's Facebook followers, were based in Mexico, and the Broncos counted more than 30 fan groups there, the outlet reported. Each of the past few years, the team has also flown up to five Mexican super fans to Denver for games on all-expenses-paid trips, Front Office Sports notes. Mexico itself has hosted four NFL games, including the league's first regular-season game outside the United States in 2005, which drew more than 100,000 fans, per the same outlet.
Hasta la Muerte Brings the Celebration to Mexico City
Martinez's Catrina appearances are also tied to a broader NFL México campaign. For the last three years, NFL México has run Hasta la Muerte, a cultural campaign blending Mexican traditions, costumes, team altars, art and exclusive merchandise, according to the Gazette. This year's edition ran Oct. 16 through Oct. 18 at Casa Colours in Mexico City's Roma Norte neighborhood, with free admission and no advance registration required, according to Claro Sports.
Ten NFL franchises took part in the 2026 exhibition, including the Broncos, 49ers, Steelers, Dolphins, Raiders, Rams, Chiefs, Texans, Cowboys and Cardinals, each contributing team-themed Día de Muertos displays, as reported by RÉCORD. The program included team altars, art installations, themed workshops and photo areas, Claro Sports reports. Mexican artist Caro Martínez, known as Chabaski, created the exhibition's artwork this year, La Razón de México reported La Razón de México.
For Martinez, the journey from watching Spanish-language NFL broadcasts as a kid in Atlacomulco to standing outside a Denver stadium in a custom Broncos Catrina dress reflects just how far the team's cross-border fan outreach has traveled. The orange-and-blue twist on a centuries-old Mexican tradition gave one devoted fan a moment she called honoring and, in her own words, overwhelming.
