Mexican folk masks

For the pre-Hispanic Cultures, the masks served to conceal the soul, appearance, and personality, of the mask wearer and transformed the wearer into a mystical state in a way to communicate with the supernatural to influence the powerful forces mexican folk masks nature.

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. This windblower is said to scare away the evil spirits when hung above a doorway.

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.

The use of masks and costumes was an important part of Mesoamerican cultures for long before the arrival of mexican folk masks Spanish. Dancers playing Moors also have European masks, but to distinguish them they wear large turbans.

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.

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. He's singlehandedly preserving a piece of Mexican culture that few realize is still thriving today. September 6, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Bill LeVasseur never set out to become an ethnographer. Or a historian, anthropologist, migration specialist, or scholar of syncretism for that matter. He was an American advertising executive living in Mexico City who simply liked Mexican folk art.

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. 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. Some ancient masks made of stone or fired clay have survived to the present. However, most were made of degradable materials such as wood, amate paper, cloth and feathers. Knowledge of these types comes from codices, depictions on sculptures and the writings of the conquering Spanish.

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Tee Shirts. Wearing top hats and coats, they also make fun of wealthy landowners. After this, the mask can never be used again. These are not generally made of wood. Previous Next. Another type is made by stretching felt over a mold. Huichols create the masks by covering the masks with bees wax then impressing colorful seed beads chaquiras into the wax, creating intricate designs. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Masks of Mexico. Horns on devil masks are commonly made from the horns of cows, goats or deer. Skull masks have their origins in the pre-Hispanic period.

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.

Mask Exhibit. European characters appear in pastorelas or Christmas plays, common in central Mexico. 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. One important character of this type is La Malinche, in dances about the Conquest. Tlaloc was commonly depicted as having serpents around his eyes and the fangs of a viper. Most masks are painted first with a layer of white before colors are added. Painted canvas tigre costume. This person is almost always male who has learned the trade from his father, with the occasional exception of a widow continuing her husband's trade. The Wild Beast. The dances which use masks must be studied and analyzed to understand the significance of the mask. Historic dances served as a function to tell future generations of important events that impacted the villages and keep the memory of those events alive.