Vintage Mexican Folk Art Wood Dance Mask Moor Style 1980s

Description

Vintage Mexican Folk Art Wood Dance Mask Moor Style 1980s. The Dance of Moors and Christians. This mask was obtained in the early 1980s -- most likely from Guerrero -- during my mother's business travels to Latin America. From research I've determined it is probably styled to mimic the Moors because of the curly hair & straight, almost dread-like beard. The lack of moustache makes this an unique example of this type. The polychrome paint is in excellent condition. Any discoloration was present at purchase or a result of gentle aging. It has been carefully displayed or stored all these years in our personal collection. These masks are historically used in rituals, celebrations & street performances. The mask making tradition is strong in Latin America & a big part of the tourist market. I suspect this "dance" mask was made for purely decorative use as the back is not concave enough to accommodate the human face and the only opening is at the mouth. Mask is 14" L by 8" W & protrudes ~5" from the wall. Clean with a soft dry cloth. Dust with a soft bristle brush.
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***** A little background: Perhaps the most widespread dance ritual of Latin America derives from the dance of Moors and Christians (la danza de Moros y Cristianos), which was performed at major religious festivals in medieval Spain. The dance was based on an older form of religious street theatre, autos sacramentales (“mystery plays”), portrayals of the competition of forces of good and evil. In the 8th century Moors had brought Islam to Spain from North Africa, and Christians in Spain fought to regain ground until 1492, when the houses of Aragon and Castile expelled the remaining Muslims. (For more on that period, see Spain: Christian Spain from the Muslim invasion to about 1260.) After the dance-drama was imported to Mesoamerica and Peru in the 16th century, the oppositional forces in it were refashioned to cast the Spanish (good) against the Indians (bad). Although the danza de los Moros y Cristianos exists throughout Latin America, it is known by a variety of names, including danza de la conquista, danza de los Moros, marujada (in Brazil), and danza de Santiago. (from britannica online) Dances reenacting history most often contains this kind of mask, the most popular of which is a dance called Moors and Christians. Masks related to this dance vary widely with facial expressions from the serene to the terrifying.[50][51] The dances tell of stories of Christians fighting Muslims, in Spain, France or in the Holy Land.[51] Masks depicting the Christians generally have European features, with dark hair and a beard. The skin color is white or light pink, with red paint on the cheeks and sometimes other parts of the face. In some areas of Guerrero, Puebla and Veracruz, the faces are red, since light skin burns easily in the tropical sun. Dancers playing Moors also have European masks, but to distinguish them, they wear large turbans. In some areas of Guerrero, red faces depict the Moors.[50] (from wikipedia)