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Guatemalan and Mexican Masks
By putting on another face, the
mask wearer magically enters an altered state.
Today in
Guatemala and Mexico, many indigenous groups use masks in the
performance of dances and pageants. The exact meanings of these
ceremonies may be long forgotten, but they typically enact a
mythical story intended to bring fertility, yield a good
harvest or scare away evil spirits. All traditional fiestas include
folk dancing whose forms date back hundreds of years to the
conquest and beyond. Some of these dances are rooted in traditions
brought from Spain - these are usually the religious celebrations.
Then there are the dances rooted in Mayan tradition where
animal masks are often used in dances like "Toritos" (the
Little Bulls), or "El Venado" (the Deer).
This collection of Guatemalan and Mexican masks comes from mostly
indigenous villages. Many have been used in various dances.
The masked dances, which often include costumes, are an enactment of
religious and mythological themes. These themes originated in the
Pre-Hispanic past when masks were buried with the dead, which suggests
they had a transformational function and meaning. Today, battles
between good and evil taken from myths or religious stories, as well as
scenes from everyday life are played out in carnivals and celebrations.
Some of the most well known dances are those
re-enacting the conquest with masks representing conquistadores such as
Cortez or Alvarado and religious stories with saints and devils. There
are also masks made for specific dances like "el baile de los viejitos,"
dance of the old men. And then there is the "baile de los Tecuanes,"
or dance of the wild beasts, where dancers wear masks of wild animals like
jaguars or tigres.
Mexican mask
$
75
Mexican mask
$
75
Mexican mask
$
75
Mexican mask
$
75
Mexican mask
$
75
Mexican mask
$
75
Mexican mask
$
75
Oaxacan Jaguar
$
195
Cat by award-winning Guatemalan
artist Arturo Aj Canil
$
145
Skull by award-winning Guatemalan
artist Arturo Aj Canil
$
155
Skull and jaguar by award-winning
Guatemalan artist Arturo Aj Canil
$
169
Green Skull Mask
$
Lion
Mask
$
55
Jaguar
Mask
$
55
Bright Skull Mask
$
Deer
Mask
$
Zebra
Mask $ 55
Land and sky mask by award-winning
Guatemalan artist Arturo Aj Canil
$
165 Friendly Lion
$ 45
Happy Jaguar
$ 49
Rhino
Mask
$
55
Pig w/whiskers & teeth $
149
Toro w/tongue
Friendly Billty Goat SOLD
Old Leather Jaguar
$
350
Jaguar suit & mask
$ 550
Mexican Jaguar
$ 3
Chubby Cheeked Angel
$ 125 Medium size Folk
Art Masks Chicken
$ 26 Deer
$ 26 Jaguar
$ 26 Jaguar
$ 26 Dog
$ 26 Rhino
$ 26 Charming
mini-masks from Guatemala -
start your own
zoo!
Small Lion
$ 16
Small Deer
$ 16
Ram
$ 14 Jaguar
$ 14 Chicken
$ 14
Elephant
$ 14
Horse $ 14 Rabbit
$ 14 Toucan
$ 14
Deer $ 14
Pig $ 14 Toucan
$ 21
Bird $ 21 Oaxacan
elaborately painted lizards
Oaxacan Liazrds $ 75
Oaxacan Liazrds $ 75
Oaxacan Liazrd $ 120
Oaxacan Liazrds $ 225 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
