Mosaic Mask
The Aztecs were another indigenous group located in Mexico, and were powerful around the 15th and 16th centuries. Their capital was in Tenochtitlan, located near Mexico City today. The Nahuatl word for mask is Xayacatl which also means face. Most masks made by the Aztecs had two functions. If the mask couldn’t be worn (no holes in eyes/mouth) then it would be tied to other objects, but if it was able to be worn it would be a mask of a deity and the person reenacted stories of that deity. Many of the masks found from the Aztecs were buried with stone objects, the theory behind this is that they were honoring the war god, Huitzilopochtli by returning the riches he gave them. (1)
This particular mask is from 1400-1521 CE. Unlike the other masks seen in this gallery, this one was created with several materials including: pearl, cedreal wood, conch shell, turquoise, and pine resin. It is not just the materials used, but how they were put together that makes this piece very different. There had to be several ways of creating this, making the creation of this mask a religious ritual. (2) The characteristics of Aztec masks don't align with those of the Aztec people, meaning they didn't share the same face shapes - typically they just represented deities. This particular mask did not have holes at the mouth or eyes which meant it was just tied to other objects and not worn. It could have been buried with the dead as trophies, or placed over the sick until they either died or recovered. This gave the mask a symbol of life and death. (1)
Turquoise was a very prized material in Mexico, especially because it was not so abundant. The Aztec word of turquoise is Teuxiuith which meant the property of god.(1) Due to the color turquoise and the dark blue spots on the cheeks (thought to be representative of butterflies – which was an emblem) this specific mask is supposed to be Xiuhtechutli or the turquoise lord. However, there are also small bumps, which are thought to be warts and thus represent a different god Nanahuatzh. Nanahuatzh is a god who has boils on his head because he went into a fire when creation happened and rose out of that fire as the sun (Tonatiuh).(2)
1.Klein, Cecelia F. "Masking Empire: The Material Effects Of Masks In Aztec Mexico." Art History 9, no. 2 (1986): 135-67. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8365.1986.tb00192.x.
2. "Mask; Mosaic: British Museum." The British Museum. Accessed April 15, 2021. https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_Am-St-400.