8 Inches (Hacendado), carved wood with paint

These include the Hacendado (hacienda owner), his wife La Bonita, her lowlife counterpart- La Borracha (female drunk), and a Diablo. The full cast of this dance also includes a Torito (little bull), Death and a Borracho (male drunk) among others.

The masks appear to have been varnished on the backs, probably for protection. As a result the usual patina could not develop, and it is difficult to estimate the degree of use.

I know of no published description of the Torito dance of Silao, but there is a photo, in La Muerte en las Danzas Mexicanas, of Jaled Muyaes with a set of masks used during Semana Santa (Holy Week). Jaled, who died in 2007, was with his wife Estela Ogázon an important Mexican mask collector. He was also an artist and sculptor.

$500 for the set