Jaguar helmet mask · Unknown artist, Mexico, Guerrero, Zitlala, Nahua · ID: 3047168

Name: Jaguar helmet mask
SKU: 3047168
Price: 1500 EUR
Availability: SoldOut

sold EUR 1,500

Size

H: 27,5 cm

B: 33 cm

H: 10.8 inch

B: 13.0 inch

Description

hide/ leather, painted in yellow and red, animal bristles, mirror glass,
This style of “tigre”(colloquial for “jaguar”) masks are used on the feast day of the Holy Cross in early May. As part of the activities, men from different parts of the city (“barrios”) put on jaguar costumes and carry out fierce fighting competitions that involve beating each other over the head with knotted ropes. The leather masks are worn over the head to protect the wearer from injury.

This fight is considered a sacrifice of pain and a request to the gods to send enough rain for the upcoming planting season. In Guerrero, this festival is closely linked to “Tlaloc”, the god of rain.

The object Jaguar helmet mask with the object ID 3047168 was last part of the auction 95th Tribal Art Auction at October 24, 2020 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 73 achieved a sales price of EUR 1,500.

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