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La Tanta Mexican Wood Dance Mask browse these categories for related items... All Items: Vintage Arts:Decorative Art:Organics:Wood: Pre 1900: item # 121992 Please refer to our stock # unkTZ when inquiring. Licht Antiques P.O. Box 630072 Riverdale, NY 10463 (917)806-6390 Guest Book $170 |
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| In present-day Mexico, masks such as shown are required for dances and ceremonial occasions such as Carnival (a pre-Lenten celebration that coincides with the Aztec new year and the first month of a new agricultural cycle). Masks are also used in Days of the Dead, November 1 and 2, when souls of the departed are welcomed during a brief return to earth. Mexican ceremonial dances encompass music, choreography, costume and masks, which seem to transform from their rigid expressions when placed on dancer’s heads. In the Indian culture of Mexico, a mask allows the wearer to transform from an ordinary being to a spiritual one. The ceremonial use of masks is an important link between pre-Hispanic history and the Spanish conquest of Mexico. Mexican masks represent the blending of two cultures. Ceremonies continue today in remote Indian villages of the Mexican Sierra, although impacts from outside influence raise concern that this tradition may be lost. This Face were probably carved in the early 20th Century. It measures 190mm by 175mm by 60mm. The wood, as seen from the rear has age. | |
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