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Gracejo (?) Mask

TITLE: Gracejo (?) Mask
TYPE: face mask
GENERAL REGION: Latin America
COUNTRY: Guatemala
SUBREGION: Mazatenango
ETHNICITY: Mayan (Q’eqchi’)
DESCRIPTION: Unknown mask, probably a gracejo (mox)
MAKER: Unknown
CEREMONY: Baile del Patzcar
AGE: Unknown
MAIN MATERIAL: hardwood
OTHER MATERIALS: N/A

This mysterious mask is unfinished and most probably a gracejo (joker) or mox (fool) from southern Guatemala. Such masks are used in the Baile del Patzcar (Boss’s Dance). The Baile del Patzcar (Plantation Boss’s Dance) is the oldest Guatemalan dance still practiced today and evolved from a Mayan purification ritual.  In it, a dancer representing a female known as Lola performs a Mayan ritual using a white handkerchief to heal other masqueraders wearing rags and disease masks with gigantic thyroid goiters. Then gracejos representing ranch hands and carrying whips dance, comically whipping each other in mock fight over the love of the boss’s wife (Patzcarina).

This mask seems to have been abandoned before the carver had finished, possibly due to the extreme heaviness of the wood, which makes it impractical to wear during the dance.

For more on Guatemalan masks, see Jim Pieper, Guatemala’s Masks and Drama (University of New Mexico Press, 2006).

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Waq’ollo

TITLE: Waq’ollo
TYPE: hood mask
GENERAL REGION: Latin America
COUNTRY: Peru
ETHNICITY: Quechua
DESCRIPTION: Waq’ollo Mask for Qhapaq Q’olla
MAKER: Unknown
CEREMONY: Dance of the Qhapaq Q’olla (Qoyllur Rit’i; Corpus Christi; Fiesta de la Virgen del Carmen)
AGE: 1970s
MAIN MATERIAL: dyed and knitted llama wool
OTHER MATERIALS: N/A

In the Altiplano of Bolivia and Peru, the Quechua and Aymara descendants of the Incans still celebrate Qoyllur Rit’i, the Snow Star Festival in late May or early June to hale the reappearance of the Pleiades constellation and the harvest. Although the Catholic Church has attempted to co-opt the event, it maintains its essentially pre-Spanish conquest character.  Pilgrims from around Peru assemble in the Sinakara Valley in various costumes to dance in celebration. The Qhapaq Q’olla (“mighty Indian”) is one such character, dancing in the waq’ollo mask shown here with a hat, woven sling and a dried vicuña skin. Supposedly they represent a merchant who is half human and half llama, and who brings goods to the Cusco region for sale from the jungle and Paucartambo region, such as pisco liquor. Their roles are primarily that of clown, but they also dance and sing to the Virgin of Paucartambo. They sometimes wear a square flat hat called an aqarapi, and dance in a group.  The group is composed of a Mayor (alcalde), who carries a wooden staff of authority and a black crucifix on his mask, and his wife (la Imilla), a child (q’ollita), two captains, a llama herder (llamero), who wanders into the crowd to pretend to sell his goods, and a group of q’ollas dancing in two rows.  The imilla has a face covered by a black veil.  Qhapaq Q’olla also dance at Corpus Christi parades in Cusco and other religious celebrations.

The q’ollas, aligned according to their age, dance together, led by the captains. Sometimes children called chanako accompany them as well. The musical ensemble that accompanies them consists of a violin, an accordion, a bass drum and several Quena performers.  The q’ollas are always men born in Paucartambo. The costume consists of a flat, rectangular hat (aqarapi) decorated with sequins, old coins or beads; the waq’ollo; a lliclla skin made of vicuña wool, and the qepi that contains a young dead vicuña.  the dance, the collas sing Quechua songs about their commercial activity, their journey to Cusco, and their protective saints.


Click above to watch a short documentary on Corpus Christi in Cusco, Peru.

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Historiantes (Moro) Mask (Child’s)

TITLE: Historiantes (Moro) Mask (Child’s)
TYPE: face mask
GENERAL REGION: Latin America
COUNTRY: El Salvador
SUBREGION: San Salvador
ETHNICITY: Mestizo
DESCRIPTION: Moro (Moor) Mask
MAKER: Victor Manuel Cruz (Panchimalco, 1950- )
CEREMONY: Danza de los Historiantes
AGE: 2016
MAIN MATERIAL: pito wood
OTHER MATERIALS: oil-based paint; animal hair; shoestrings

The Danza de los Historiantes (Dance of the Historical Persons), also known as the Danza de los Moros y Cristianos (Dance of the Moors and Christians) reenacts the reconquest of Spain by the Christians from the Muslim Saracens.  The story was taught by missionaries as part of an effort to instill respect for and fear of the Spaniards in the indigenous peoples, and to convince them that the victory of Christianity over other faiths—by violence whenever necessary—was inevitable.

The dance is still performed in several parts of El Salvador, usually on the festival in honor of the village’s patron saint. The dance group includes several Spaniards with their prince and princess or king and queen, and an equal number of Moors with their royalty. Each Spaniard and Moor has a specific role (ambassador, captain, doctor, etc.). Usually each side has its own clown (bufón). In the neighborhood of Panchimalco, where this mask originates, twelve or more dancers reenact the history with recited verses, feigned combat, and clownish antics. They are accompanied by the music of the carrizo (reed flute) and tambor indio (drum).

In the region of San Salvador, masks are inevitably red and blue, with Christians having clean-shaven faces and Moors having mustaches or beards. In other parts of El Salvador, the masks are different colors (green and pink, bright pink, etc.) or resemble natural skin. This mask was made and used in Panchimalco by a child.

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Dog Mask

TITLE: Dog Mask
TYPE: face mask
GENERAL REGION: Latin America
COUNTRY: El Salvador
SUBREGION: San Salvador
ETHNICITY: Mestizo
DESCRIPTION: Perro (Dog) Mask
MAKER: Celio López (San Antonio Abad, 1962- )
CEREMONY: Danza del Venadito (Dance of the Little Deer)
AGE: 2015
MAIN MATERIAL: pito wood
OTHER MATERIALS: oil-based paint; rubber; shoestrings

The Danza del Venadito (Dance of the Little Deer) is an ancient dance drama performed in the San Antonio Abad region of San Salvador during the Fiesta del Virgen del Trànsito (Feast of the Assumption) from August 6 to 15, with variations performed elsewhere in El Salvador at other times. The dance is accompanied by the music of pito flute, drum and slit drum (tepunahuaste). The dance tells the story of an ancient deer hunt, in which a jaguar (tigre) intervenes to chase the deer as well. The hunters and townsfolk assemble with their dogs (one represented by this mask) to reorganize the hunt and succeed in killing the jaguar. They then recite comical rhymes relating to the portioning out of the jaguar, such as: “La cabeza para la niña Teresa, las costillas para la cofradía, la cola para la niña Pola, el pellejo para los viejos,” and so forth. (“The head for the child Teresa, the ribs for the fraternal order, the tail for the child Pola, the pelt for the elders,” etc.).

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Carnival Mask

TITLE: Carnival Mask
TYPE: face mask
GENERAL REGION: Latin America
COUNTRY: El Salvador
SUBREGION: San Salvador
ETHNICITY: Mestizo
DESCRIPTION: Dientón/Lenguón (Big Teeth/Big Tongue) Mask
MAKER: Celio López (San Antonio Abad, 1962- )
CEREMONY: Carnival
AGE: 2016
MAIN MATERIAL: pito wood
OTHER MATERIALS: oil-based paint; shoestrings

Carnival is celebrated in El Salvador with the same enthusiasm as it is in other Catholic countries.  Carnival is the celebration prior to the fasting season of Lent.  In some parts of El Salvador, such as the San Antonio Abad neighborhood of San Salvador, paraders or celebrants wear wooden masks depicting characters from popular culture, political figures, animals, or clowns. This dientón/lenguón (big teeth/big tongue) mask falls into the last category, representing a clown intended to provoke hilarity in the audience.

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Historiantes (Moro) Mask

TITLE: Historiantes (Moro) Mask
TYPE: face mask
GENERAL REGION: Latin America
COUNTRY: El Salvador
SUBREGION: San Salvador
ETHNICITY: Mestizo
DESCRIPTION: Moro (Moor) Mask
MAKER: Celio López (San Antonio Abad, 1962- )
CEREMONY: Danza de los Historiantes
AGE: 1994
MAIN MATERIAL: pito wood
OTHER MATERIALS: oil-based paint; animal hair; shoestrings

The Danza de los Historiantes (Dance of the Historical Persons), also known as the Danza de los Moros y Cristianos (Dance of the Moors and Christians) reenacts the reconquest of Spain by the Christians from the Muslim Saracens.  The story was taught by missionaries as part of an effort to instill respect for and fear of the Spaniards in the indigenous peoples, and to convince them that the victory of Christianity over other faiths—by violence whenever necessary—was inevitable.

The dance is still performed in several parts of El Salvador, usually on the festival in honor of the village’s patron saint. The dance group includes several Spaniards with their prince and princess or king and queen, and an equal number of Moors with their royalty. Each Spaniard and Moor has a specific role (ambassador, captain, doctor, etc.). Usually each side has its own clown (bufón). In the neighborhood of San Antonio Abad (named after its patron saint), where this mask originates, twelve or more dancers reenact the history with recited verses, feigned combat, and clownish antics. They are accompanied by the music of the carrizo (reed flute) and tambor indio (drum).

In the region of San Salvador, masks are inevitably red and blue, with Christians having clean-shaven faces and Moors having mustaches or beards. In other parts of El Salvador, the masks are different colors (green and pink, bright pink, etc.) or resemble natural skin.

Click above to watch a short documentary about the Historiantes dance-drama of El Salvador.

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Viejito de Cuchemonte

TITLE: Viejito de Cuchemonte
TYPE: face mask
GENERAL REGION: Latin America
COUNTRY: El Salvador
SUBREGION: San Salvador
ETHNICITY: Mestizo
DESCRIPTION: Viejito de Cuchemonte (Little Old Man of the Peccary) Mask
MAKER: Celio López (San Antonio Abad, 1962- )
CEREMONY: Baile del Cuche de Monte
AGE: 1991
MAIN MATERIAL: pito wood
OTHER MATERIALS: oil-based paint; shoestrings

The Baile del Cuche de Monte, also known as the Cújtan-Cuyámet, is an ancient dance performed to the music of pito flute, drum and slit drum (tepunahuaste). The dance originates in a nuptial feast offering (marconanda) from the Mayan peoples to their gods. The vieijito in this dance wears a costume designed to look as if he were riding on the back of a white-lipped peccary (javelina). He plays the role of a clown (bufón), proclaiming “Yo soy un viejo loco, y soy como es espinazo de este chuche, pelado pero sabroso” (“I am a madman, and I am like the spine of this peccary, skinned but tasty”), and persecuting the other dancers by chasing them down with his peccary, which pretends to bite them. The dancers drive him away with rods, shouting “cuuuuucheeeee.” In modern times, the dance has become a form of political theater, with the viejito sometimes representing a grasping politician. After the other dancers drive him away, they recite some rhyming doggerel about dividing up the peccary for the community. For example, “Los ojos para ese de anteojos, los chicharrones para elecciones” (The eyes for those with glasses, the fried skin for the election, etc.), ending with “la carne para los pobres y los huevos para el presidente” (the meat for the poor and the eggs for the president), considered ironical because peccaries do not even lay eggs, so nothing is left for the politicians. Finally, two masked characters appear representing the “cadejos,” mythological dog-like creatures, one black and one white, that take care of villagers (the black for men, and white for women).

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Historiantes (Cristiano) Mask

TITLE: Historiantes (Cristiano) Mask
TYPE: face mask
GENERAL REGION: Latin America
COUNTRY: El Salvador
SUBREGION: San Salvador
ETHNICITY: Mestizo
DESCRIPTION: Cristiano (Christian) Mask
MAKER: Celio López (San Antonio Abad, 1962- )
CEREMONY: Danza de los Historiantes
AGE: 1996
MAIN MATERIAL: pito wood
OTHER MATERIALS: oil-based paint; animal hair; shoestrings

The Danza de los Historiantes (Dance of the Historical Persons), also known as the Danza de los Moros y Cristianos (Dance of the Moors and Christians) reenacts the reconquest of Spain by the Christians from the Muslim Saracens.  The story was taught by missionaries as part of an effort to instill respect for and fear of the Spaniards in the indigenous peoples, and to convince them that the victory of Christianity over other faiths—by violence whenever necessary—was inevitable.

The dance is still performed in several parts of El Salvador, usually on the festival in honor of the village’s patron saint. The dance group includes several Spaniards with their prince and princess or king and queen, and an equal number of Moors with their royalty. Each Spaniard and Moor has a specific role (ambassador, captain, doctor, etc.). Usually each side has its own clown (bufón). In the neighborhood of San Antonio Abad (named after its patron saint), where this mask originates, twelve or more dancers reenact the history with recited verses, feigned combat, and clownish antics. They are accompanied by the music of the carrizo (reed flute) and tambor indio (drum).

In the region of San Salvador, masks are inevitably red and blue, with Christians having clean-shaven faces and Moors having mustaches or beards. In other parts of El Salvador, the masks are different colors (green and pink, bright pink, etc.) or resemble natural skin.

Click above to watch a short documentary about the Historiantes dance-drama of El Salvador.

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Tastoan



Click above to watch a short documentary about the tastoanes of Tonalá, Mexico.

TITLE: Tastoan
TYPE: face mask
GENERAL REGION: Latin America
COUNTRY: Mexico
SUBREGION: Jalisco
ETHNICITY: Nahua
DESCRIPTION: Tastoan Mask
MAKER: Ubaldo Macías Bernabe, Tonalá (1972- )
CEREMONY: Fiesta de Santiago el Apostól
AGE: 2016
MAIN MATERIAL: leather
OTHER MATERIALS: horse teeth; animal bone; acrylic paint; lacquer; glue paste; wire; thread; elastic bands; horse hair

In parts of Jalisco and Zacatecas, the holiday in honor of Santiago el Apostól (St. James the Apostle) is held every 25th of July. Celebrants carry spears and dress in long pants, leather chaps, and boots, with demonic masks made of wood (Zacatecas) or molded leather (Jalisco) covered with a montera (headdress) of goat hair, horse hair, or plant fiber. The festival commemorates a battle between the indigenous warriors of the area and conquistadors. The appearance of the tastoanes, who represent indigenous warriors, conveys their ferocity through sharp teeth, large noses, and snakes, lizards, scorpions and spiders for decorations. This mask has images of the mythical creatures nahual and nahuala, half jaguar and half human, who symbolize the ferocity of the Tonaltecs. In some cases, the masks are dotted to convey the transmission of diseases such as smallpox and syphilis from the Spaniards to the indigenous peoples.

During the celebration, tastoanes and either three kings wearing ceramic masks or three Aztec priestesses (one representing the Tonaltec queen Tzapotzintli, also known as Tzuapili oor Cihualpilli) carry an image of St. James along a parade route and dance to music carrying swords or whips, after which they make defiant speeches and engage in a mock battle (jugada) with a participant carrying a whip who represents St. James.  At the end of the battle, all the tastoanes die and St. James is victorious. In the past, all tastoanes were male, but recently women have begun to participate as well.  In some towns, an organization such as a Cofradía de Santo Santiago (Fraternity of St. James) organizes the event.

This specific mask was made by the award-winning craftsman Ubaldo Macías of Tonalá and worn in the 2016 Fiesta de Sto. Santiago.

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Ajitz

TITLE: Ajitz
TYPE: face mask
GENERAL REGION: Latin America
COUNTRY: Guatemala
SUBREGION: Chichicastenango
ETHNICITY: Mayan (K’ich’e)
DESCRIPTION: Ajitz (Priest) Mask
MAKER: Unknown
CEREMONY: Baile de la Conquista
AGE: 2010
MAIN MATERIAL: wood
OTHER MATERIALS: paint

The Baile de la Conquista (Dance of the Conquest) retells the conquest of the Mayan Empire by the Spanish conquistadors.  The leader of the conquistadors in the area now known Guatemala was Pedro de Alvarado y Contreras (1485-1541), who participated in the subjugation of Cuba, Mexico, and most of central America, and eventually the governor of Guatemala. His viciousness made him especially hated by the indigenous population.

The dance began as early as the 16th century, and begins with the arrival of Spanish ambassadors to the K’ich’e king, along with princes and princesses (Malinches). The king seeks support for resistance from the governor of Xelajú, named Tecún Umán, who appears with his lieutenant, Huitzitzil Zunun (represented here), and priest, Ajitz (represented by this mask). This leads to a battle, in which Alvarado duels with Tecún Umán, who is killed, resulting in the conversion of the conquered K’ich’e people to Catholicism.

For more on Guatemalan masks, see Jim Pieper, Guatemala’s Masks and Drama (University of New Mexico Press, 2006).

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