Negrito Mask – Oaxaca – 1st half 20th Cent.

Negrito Mask – Oaxaca – 1st half 20th Cent.

Dance Masks

Anonymous Artisan

Ht. 9″ x W. 7″ x W. 5″

The Tusked Negrito Mask of Oaxaca is worn by masked buffoons who act as clowns, masters of ceremony, and policeman during dances and festivals in Zapotec and Mixe towns in the State of Oaxaca. Scholars suggest that the Negrito image may be a survival of some pre-Conquest tradition.