Payaso (Clown) Circa 1985
Anonymous Artisan
Dance Masks
Ht 8.25" x W. 6" x D. 9"
Evidence of humans using masks goes back 15,000 years. Masks add power and mystery to rituals and help the dancers act out a story. They allow the wearer to release inhibitions, to take on a new identity, to become anonymous. As early as 1,000 BC in highly developed Mesoamerican cultures, dances and rituals involved masked dancers. When the Spanish Catholics first conquered what is now Mexico, they regarded masks as pagan, but they soon realized they could use masks to teach Catholic beliefs and Christian history. Masked dances and rituals are still widely used in villages all over Mexico, making the mask artists important members of the community.