Sierra de Puebla, State of Puebla, Mexico

7 Inches, painted wood.

This female Huehue mask demonstrates the simple style favored by some carvers. There is no hair, painted or carved, the ears are carefully carved, but applied with nails, but paradoxically the eyes are carefully carved, not simly painted on. So one sees again the hand of the individual carver. Also unusual and interesting is the use of red paint to highlight the eyes, ears and nostrils, not just the mouth. On this mask the ears are pierced for earrings, but apparently these have been lost. The back of this mask shows significant wear.

This mask seems a little homely in appearance, some Huehue female masks project striking beauty. It seems good to recall that this mask was worn by a male Totonac Indian who was impersonating a caucasian female. Such masks serve as caricatures of the Europeans who conquered Mexico, or they once did. In Barbara Mauldin’s book- Tigers, Devils and the Dance of Life: Masks of Mexico, there is on p. 26 a photo of the most typical female Huehue mask from this region.

$300