TITLE: Monkey Mask
TYPE: face mask
GENERAL REGION: Latin America
COUNTRY: Ecuador
SUBREGION: Cotopaxi
ETHNICITY: Mestizo
DESCRIPTION: Mono (Monkey) Mask
CATALOG ID: LAEC009
MAKER: Unknown
CEREMONY: Nochebuena (Christmas Eve)
AGE: ca. 1960s-1970s
MAIN MATERIAL: wood
OTHER MATERIALS: oil-based paint
On Christmas Eve (Nochebuena) in Riobamba and Cuenca, Ecuador, the citizens parade in animal masks around the city. The animals include a dog (guardian of baby Jesus), monkey (acting as clowns), tigers, and others, including El Curiquingue, a sacred Andean character in white and gold feathered costumes and a pointed, bird-like mask to represent the Caracara. This mask represents a monkey, several species of which inhabit Ecuador, including the Mangled Howler Monkey, the Ecuadorian Capuchin, the Squirrel Monkey, the Black-Headed Spider Monkey, and the Brown-Mantled Tamarin.
