Traditional, authentic sugar skulls hand made and decorated with sugar. Calaveras tradicionales , auténticas hechas a mano con azúcar.
Durham, NC
27713
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I’m Israel Lazaro. I was born in Mexico but raised in Carrboro, NC, and I’m the founder of Calaveras La Catrina based in Durham, NC.
Growing up I watched my mother set her ofrenda (altar) for the Day of the Dead every year. I became obsessed with this tradition of ours. The intoxicating smell of the fruit, candles, pan de mu**to (bread of the dead), and marigolds made me feel like we were home in Mexico. I also noticed that we never had traditional sugar skulls on the table and asked my mother why that was. She responded that no one knew how to make them, and that answer was enough of an answer for me at eleven-years-old.
After my father passed away in 2014, I set up my first Day of the Dead ofrenda. Having always missed them in my childhood, I searched for sugar skulls for my own ofrenda, but I never could find any. I decided then that I would make them myself.
After much trial and error, I’ve cultivated tried-and-true recipes and decorating techniques. I still have much to learn, but I’m forever grateful that I’m able to express myself through this craft that has so much personal and cultural significance.
