What Spanish phrase names the quinceañera’s symbolic final childhood doll?

La última muñeca, meaning “the last doll,” names the quinceañera’s symbolic final childhood doll. In this tradition, the honoree receives or handles a doll as part of the transition represented by her fifteenth birthday.

The doll symbolizes childhood, while the celebration presents the quinceañera as moving toward a more mature stage of life. In some ceremonies, a younger sibling or relative receives the doll afterward, making the handoff a visible generational gesture.

This custom is not identical in every country or family. Some celebrations omit it, substitute another keepsake, or reinterpret the doll as a decorative gift. It should not be confused with the changing of shoes, the presentation of a tiara, or the candle ceremony; those are separate quinceañera customs that may occur at the same event.