TITLE: Negrito Mask
TYPE: face mask
GENERAL REGION: Latin America
COUNTRY: Mexico
SUBREGION: Oaxaca
ETHNICITY: Mixtec
DESCRIPTION: Negrito (Little Black Man) Mask
CATALOG ID: LAMX081
MAKER: Unknown maker in Pinotepa Nacional
CEREMONY: Danza de los Tejorones
AGE: 1960s-1970s
MAIN MATERIAL: wood
OTHER MATERIALS: oil-based paint
The Danza de los Tejorones is a group dance drama performed in various towns in Oaxaca at Carnival and a few other major holidays. All dancers wear masks and elaborate costumes, and many different characters are represented, including animals, Maria Candelaria (the female Tejorón), the Negritos (little blacks), devils, Viejos (old men), and Feos (uglies). This mask probably came from the small town of Pinotepa Nacional. Despite the exaggerated appearance of this mask, the dancers are of Afro-Mexican ancestry and use the negrito to honor their enslaved African ancestors.
To learn more about the causes and meaning of potentially offensive racial mask stereotypes, see our blog post on The Problem of Racial Stereotypes in Masquerade.
