Tigre Mexican Helmet Mask Zitlala Tiger Jaguar Leather Guerrero, Mexico Vtg

Description

Absolutely stunning Tigre mexican mask Helmet. This piece measures approximately 13 3/4” tall x 17” long and helmet opening is approximately 8”. The mask is in lovely condition with no damage, or tears.
This is a beautiful tiger fight mask from I believe Zitlala, Guerrero, Mexico, (in the region of Guerrero it is common to name jaguars tigers.)This mask is more similar to a helmet, it is made entirely of hard leather, it has a large mouth full of pointed teeth, a long tongue, eyes made of mirrors. Please see photos for details and thank you for your interest!
The Dance of the Tigers, better known as "Fight of the Tigers", is a rite of request for rain typical of the Nahua localities of the central region of the state of Guerrero, such as Acatlán and Zitlala, in which a large part of the men participate.
It consists of a combat between the "jaguar men" or "tiger men", who, fully characterized as this feline, dance, box and snap their whips.
This impressive ceremony, which is traditionally celebrated around the feast of the Holy Cross, between May 2 and 5, represents the duel between the jaguars or tigers, who thus invoke the clouds to rain on the cornfields.
In the ritual, the contenders fight fiercely because, according to the Nahua proverb of the region, "the more blood the tigers shed, the more rain there will be for the germination of the seeds."