Mexican Hand Carved Wood Folk Mask with Armadillo Shell Dome. 

Condition: Commensurate with age. 

Size: 4 1/2 x 9 x 11 in. 

Mexican mask-folk art refers to the making and use of masks for various traditional dances and ceremonies in Mexico. Evidence of mask making in the region extends for thousands of years and was a well-established part of ritual life in the pre-Hispanic territories that are now Mexico well before the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire occurred. 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 Mexican Independence, mask and dance traditions showed syncretism 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, while some are made from leather, wax, cardboard, papier-mâché, or other materials, including the bones, hides, and carapaces of various animals. Masks commonly depict Europeans (Spanish, French, etc.), Afro-Mexicans, old men and women, animals, and the fantastic or the supernatural, especially demons or the devil.

Commensurate with age. 

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