Mexican folk masks

When one puts on a mask, he takes on the persona of the mask, mexican folk masks. Ceremonial masks have been used in dances in Mexico and Guatemala for thousands of years. Before the Mexican folk masks Conquest, masks depicted the animal spirits and gods of the indigenous peoples. The Spanish priests taught Roman Catholicism to the natives using medieval Mystery and Miracle Plays and introduced new masks for these performances.

Among the most vivid, dark, and uncannily beautiful styles of Mexican Art are the dance masks. Masks of this style developed when evangelizers in Mexico co-opted the ancient ritualistic use of masks to spread Christianity with allegorical plays and songs. Dances evolved from the dramas, most famously the Christians fighting the Moors, and became popular across Mexico. Beautiful authentic Moor mask from early 60s worn in the traditional dance of the Moors and Christians.. Carved from a hardwood with glass eyes.

Mexican folk masks

Mask making is a part of Mexican ritual life that pre-dates the arrival of the Spanish. Masks in Mexico are used in a wide variety of dances, ceremonies, festivals and theatre, but the most common uses are with traditional dances. In these dances, non-professional performers wear masks to transform themselves into other beings or characters. Most masks are scaled to fit the human face, with dancers looking out of slits just above the painted eyes. The masks are traditionally used in various dances and representations during Christmastime and may use serpents and lizards as allusions to elements of pre-Hispanic Gods. Devil masks are mainly found in the Mexican states of Guerrero, Michoacan and Colima. Skull masks have their origins in the pre-Hispanic period. The depiction of death in pre-Hispanic Mexico was not fearful but rather a part of life. Skull masks can be basic white or with fanciful decorations; while some are serious, others may be depicted laughing. Huichols create the masks by covering the masks with bees wax then impressing colorful seed beads chaquiras into the wax, creating intricate designs. Many indigenous groups in Mexico and Guatemala use monkey and other animal masks in the performance of dances and pageants that reenact religious and mythological themes. These themes originated in Pre-Hispanic times when masks were buried with the dead, suggesting they had a transformational function and meaning. Online Exhibit - Mexican Masks Mask making is a part of Mexican ritual life that pre-dates the arrival of the Spanish. The masks in this exhibit represent a variety of the types of masks created in Mexico.

Some ancient masks made of stone or fired clay have survived to the present. Mask Exhibit. Rojas, state of Guerrero.

Mexican mask-folk art refers to the making and use of masks for various traditional dances and ceremony in Mexico. Evidence of mask making in the region extends for thousands of years and was a well-established part of ritual life in the pre-Hispanic territories that are now Mexico well before the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire occurred. In the early colonial period, evangelists took advantage of native customs of dance and mask to teach the Catholic faith although later, colonial authorities tried to ban both unsuccessfully. After Mexican Independence , mask and dance traditions showed a syncretism and mask traditions have continued to evolve into new forms, depicting Mexico's history and newer forms of popular culture such as lucha libre. Masks commonly depict Europeans Spanish, French, etc. The use of masks and costumes was an important part of Mesoamerican cultures for long before the arrival of the Spanish. Evidence of masks made with bone thousands of years old have been found at Tequixquiac , State of Mexico.

The collection contains three boxes of manuscript and galley proofs, 88 photographic prints, and slides. Donald Cordry's publication, Mexican Masks, published by the University of Texas Press in , was based upon the collection. Cordry studied at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, and later earned a reputation as an expert on puppets, which he both created and collected. He began collecting artifacts and information documenting Mexican Indian arts and crafts in , on a trip to Mexico. He formed professional associations with the Heye Foundation now the Museum of the American Indian , which sponsored further trips, and with the Southwest Museum in Los Angeles, California. In Cordry traveled to Oaxaca, Mexico, and in founded a crafts workshop there to finance his expeditions to collect and record ethnographic data. He later relocated to Mixcoac, in Mexico City, and Cuernavaca, but kept his home in Mexico and pursued the documentation of its arts and crafts until his death. Scope and Contents Note Manuscript, galley proofs, photographs, and slides relating to the publication of Cordry's book, Mexican Masks, the result of his work to preserve and record Mexican masks and their significance. The original, edited manuscript comprises typed pages and is accompanied by galley proofs. Photographic material, made up of 88 black and white photographs dating from to , color slides, and two negatives, depicts ceremonial Mexican folk masks, mask makers, and people wearing the masks.

Mexican folk masks

Mexican mask-folk art refers to the making and use of masks for various traditional dances and ceremony in Mexico. Evidence of mask making in the region extends for thousands of years and was a well-established part of ritual life in the pre-Hispanic territories that are now Mexico well before the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire occurred. In the early colonial period, evangelists took advantage of native customs of dance and mask to teach the Catholic faith although later, colonial authorities tried to ban both unsuccessfully.

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However, most were made of degradable materials such as wood, amate paper, cloth and feathers. Others were mostly likely made by those who sold or rented costumes to performers. Vintage Tastoanes Mask. Masks in Mexico are used in a wide variety of dance, ceremony, festivals and theater, with their wearing not separate from the event in which they are used. Mask making is a part of Mexican ritual life that pre-dates the arrival of the Spanish. Tools used by wood mask makers include machetes , knives and blades, often fashioned by the craftsman himself. Carved from a hardwood with glass eyes. In the town of Teloloapan , Guerrero, the local government holds a contest for the best decoration of devil masks. The skin color is white or light pink, with red paint on the cheeks and sometimes other parts of the face. Article Talk. Negrito masks vary by region. Masks have depicted the three races of Mexican history, indigenous, European and African. Some are serious and others are laughing.

Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads. Bill LeVasseur has collected hundreds of Mexican masks from remote villages that now hang on the walls of his museum in San Miguel de Allende.

Tools used by wood mask makers include machetes , knives and blades, often fashioned by the craftsman himself. With few exceptions, dances are performed by males, who play both male and female roles wearing masks. In some areas of Guerrero, red faces depict the Moors. Among the most vivid, dark, and uncannily beautiful styles of Mexican Art are the dance masks. Sometimes the masks are covered in plaster to achieve a smooth finish. At least two are disguised as hunters with shotguns. Painted wooden mask from Michoacan with feather earring. Oaxacan Carvings. Meet the Artisans. On these masks, facial features are generally painted on and cuts are made for the eyes. The performance is danced to the traditional music of the flutes and drums.