Masiaca, Sonora, Mexico

7 3/8 Inches (excluding hair), Torote Prieto wood with horsetail hair. Undanced.

This mask was carved by Francisco Gamez Piña, a Yoreme (the name the Mayo Indians call themselves) within last 10 years. He is a major contemporary carver among the Yoremem, and his masks are frequently danced in fiestas. When I visited the area for Holy Week in 2006, I saw several dancers who were wearing his masks. I visited the carver at his home, but he was sold out. His masks are nicely carved, carefully painted and he makes the backs very smooth, so as to be comfortable for the wearer. Francisco is one of those carvers whose masks have been brought to cities such as Tucson or Santa Fe, for sale to collectors, for many years. Ironically, this practice has permitted Yoeme/Yaqui pascola dancers in Tucson to buy and use his masks there, after cutting the brow hair shorter, in the Yoeme fashion. This mask is extremly typical of his human faced pascola masks.

More on Pascola masks.

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