Wood Hanging Mask Aztec Gentleman w Milagros Mexican Folk Art Handmade Blue Top

Description

Wood Aztec Mask with Milagros From Mexico.
Tall/
Height
- 10"
Wide- 7 3/4"
Deep- 3 1/2" (
measured
from back to nose)
The mask were made by Master
craftsman
Jose Manuel Mejia.
He has
received
many awards and has been recognized by the Mexican government as a master
craftsman
.
Mr
Mejia lives in Santa Ana, Michoacan, Mexico.
All his masks are hand tooled and hand painted.
Each
Milagro
/charm is
individually
then hammered into the wood mask.
The mask has a face of a Mexican Pre Hispanic man with a head
piece
made of wood with milagros/charms on top.
These masks were
originally
made for traditional dances.
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 country extends for thousands of years and was a well-established part of ritual life in Mexico when the Spanish arrived.
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 Independence, mask and dance traditions showed a cretinism and mask traditions have continued to evolve into new forms, depicting Mexico’s history and newer forms of popular culture such as lucha libre. Most traditional masks are made of wood, with others made from leather, wax, cardboard, paper mache> and other materials. Common depictions in masks include Europeans (Spanish, French, hacienda owners, etc.), Afro-Mexicans old men and women, animals, and the fantastic/supernatural, especially demons/the Devil.
Great for collectors of Mexican masks or for anyone that love masks.