Vintage Mexican Parade/Ceremony Mask – Brown Wolf Head

Description

This is a vintage wooden Mexican ceremonial dance mask.
Wolf Head style mask
dimensions: 11" tall x 8" wide
The mask was hand carved from one piece of wood and hand painted by hand.
The colors are still vivid.
Mexican Folk Art
Dates from second quarter of 20th Century
We
believe
it is originally from Mexico
Way down in the southern mountains of Guerrero, Mexico, up high mountain roads, are the indigeneous group (Nahua) that produce these beautiful solid carved wood pieces of art.  They are generally carved by men using the Tzampamitla tree and then whimsically detailed by the women in rich jewel tones (using translucent aniline dyes or paints) with eyes that seem to come alive. These hard to travel to villages and pueblitos include Maravatio, Tlamacazapa, Ahueuepan, San Francisco Ozomatlan, and San Critobal.  Rare to obtain as many importers no longer wish to travel to these remote villages with all the current unrest.  Highly collectible.
These masks and sculptures were used as part of traditional dance ceremonies used to pray for fertility, farming, and protection of the community, a tradition extending back thousands of years and a well-established part of ritual life in Mexico when the Spanish arrived. Performances typically took place on saints' feast days, Carnival, and civic holidays, with dances, parades, and mock battles. Themes include Christians and Moors, Cortes and Spanish soldiers vs. Aztecs and other indigenous groups, priests, angels, devils, wild animals, mermaids, fishing, and agriculture. Notable dances include the Tres Potencias (Three Powers), Siete Vicios (Seven Vices), and Los Ocho Locos (The Eight Fools), which grew out of morality plays introduced by Spanish missionaries, where a war between good and evil is acted out with masked characters.
Many masks available, check out our sellers page for more.