Masks of Mexico: Tigers, Devils, and the Dance of Life [Paperback]

Barbara Mauldin (Author), Ruth D. Lechuga (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1999

This is a state-by-state guide for collectors and general folk art enthusiasts to learn about the types of masked dances still carried out in Mexico's Indian and mestizo communities today. Close to one-hundred colour photographs of authenticated masks from the collection of the Museum of International Folk Art are presented, including finely carved pieces from the 19th century to simple face coverings made in the past ten years. The masked ceremonies are brought to life with documentary photographs showing masqueraders acting out their roles.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Delivers a powerful message...beyond the decorative and colorful elements emerges the idea that native cultures have an insight into the mysteries of life and death."

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Museum of New Mexico Press (January 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0890133255
• ISBN-13: 978-0890133255
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #205,648 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #54 in Books > Arts & Photography > Schools, Periods & Styles > Folk Art

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An attractive and valuable new reference on Mexican masks., April 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Masks of Mexico: Tigers, Devils, and the Dance of Life (Paperback)

The author assigned herself the task of publishing a representative sample of masks from the many Mexican states with strong traditions of mask use, drawing from the previously underdisplayed collections of the Museum of International Folk Art, in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The book brings together a number of interesting photographs of masked dancers, to augment the excellent mask photos. Some of these have appeared in other books on Mexican masking, accessible or inaccessible, others are fresh and new, to the reviewer at least.

In terms of the actual masks, a number of these are rather old, attractive or uncommon, rarely seen or described in books or exhibits; some others are not so old or rare, but nevertheless very interesting. A minority of others are familiar from other standard reference works, and add little to this volume. Their inclusion follows from the goal to present the broad spectrum of Mexican masking.

On the other hand, there appear to be virtually no decorative masks among all those illustrated, which is a credit to the excellent scholarship of the author. Indeed, she has taken great care to identify the carvers, the towns, the estimated age, and the indigenous traditions of each mask, to the extent that this could be documented. The estimated ages are refreshing in their modesty, in contrast to the florid attribution of great age to any demonstrable wear, that one so commonly encounters in books about masks.

In the end, a book about Mexican dance masks must rise or fall on the strength of the material and the quality of the photographs; from this perspective the book is a must buy for any Mexican mask collector or aficionado.