Just in, this wonderful Guerrero jaguar mask, hand carved wood with animal teeth and mirrored eyes!
$350
The Jaguar Mask
These masks are used in different dances in the States of Guerrero, Oaxaca, Puebla, Chiapas and Tabasco. In Guerrero one of the dances is called La Danza de Los Tecuanes, (The Human Eaters Dance) and focus on the hunting and killing of the jaguar character, which has been harassing the community. Usually the mask is wood carved and when done in communities with a lacquer tradition it is also lacquered and decorated with peccary tusks and hair.
Other Jaguar dances are concerned with maintaining balance in the natural world and the agricultural cycle.
Masks of Guerrero
Geurrero has the most prolific masked festival traditions in Mexico, with a variety of dances and mask types. This is due to the large population of Nahua peoples spread throughout the northern and eastern sections of the state, along with smaller groups of Mixtec, Amuzgo, and Tlapanec. For the most part, the performances take place on saints' feast days and civic holidays.
From the book: Tigers, Devils, and the Dance of Life - Masks of Mexico
