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Mailing List ~ Newsletter>
Maya Masks
November 1, 2004
MAYAN MASKS
Masks have been an important part of Mayan ceremonial
culture for hundreds of years. Not only have they been
used for ceremonies and dances, they have also been used
for burial and carved as ornamentation on buildings.
Burial masks were usually made of stone, predominantly
jade. Many beautiful examples of these have been unearthed
throughout the Mayan empire. Masks used in ceremonies are
only part of an entire costume and are typically made of
wood, and carved by hand. Those masks belonging to the
higher class were more ornate in design, in addition to
being artistically painted they were usually adorned with
colored stones and decorative metal. The poorest of
people, who could not afford the wooden masks, usually
fashioned their own from the bark of palm trees, cutting
slits for eyes, nose and mouth. Other substitutes are the
fruit of the morro tree and cheap paper mache masks. A
majority of masks used depict the face of an animal or
bird, but the most common being a jaguar. Also often
represented are masks representing Spanish Conquistadors.
The use of masks along with complete costumes allows the
local people to tell the stories of their heritage, thus
carrying on the Mayan culture and tradition.
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