Mexican tin mask for tourist

Q: I used to create various tribal masks, sometimes with metal and allied items. Please look at this sample for your reference. Sanjay, 1714

A: This tin mask is well made and represents a high-ranking Aztec. These masks have been made for visitors to Mexico for years. As you can see, they are hard to resist. Mexican maskmakers sell thousands every year, most of which are quite different from each other.

I wonder if Sanjay can reproduce a metal Bolivian mask. They would be much more difficult. A beautiful example is shown in the second photograph. Masks of this kind were made for the Diablado (Dance of the Devils) that is part of the annual carnival celebration in Oruro, in the Bolivian Andes. The masks typically depict snakes, toads, lizards and winged serpents, beings associated with the devil and damp inner places. In the old days these masks were often made of silver.

Ceremonial and other ethnographic masks can be made from many different materials other than metal. Papier mache, wood, plastic, leather, cardboard, cloth, bark, terra cota, metal screen, and perhaps a few more that I can’t think of now.