Mexican Masks

Made and used in the states of Oaxaca, Morelos, Michoacán, and many others in Mexico, this collection of masks primarily originate in the Pacific Coast state of Guerrero, in south central Mexico during the mid-twentieth century. Town residents and community members celebrate with festivals at various times of the year, often to commemorate a particular event or honor a change in season. These festivals, comprised of carefully choreographed dances, tell stories through the dancers’ movements, costumes, and accompanying music. The masks featured in this collection are of animals, people, and elements of Indigenous and Christian cosmologies.

While many elements of these dances predate the conquest of Mexico (1519-1521), some of them are rooted in the colonial period (1521-1821) and are imbued with elements of Christianity. For example, the Moros y cristianos (Moors and Christians) dance explores the story of the 15th century Christian reconquest over the North African Muslim (Moor) dominated Iberian Peninsula that begun in 711. Exported to colonial Latin America, the story of Christian domination was reworked to replace the Muslims with Indigenous people, as they became the new population targeted for conquest. Variations of this dance are performed throughout Mexico, Guatemala, parts of the Caribbean, and into Brazil.

The stories told through these dances are complex and explore social customs, class, race, ethnicity, and spirituality where carnivals and festivals blur the lines between strict, everyday life categories. The Mexican masks shown here serve as an introduction to a broader cultural practice that continues to be celebrated in the present day.