Juanegro and Pañol matched pair

State of Veracruz

7 ½ inches, carved pecan wood and paint

These masks are used to depict the Juanegro Dance, a contest between a Spanish hacienda owner (Pañol) and his African-American overseer (Juanegro) for the love of a woman. Although the Spaniard is more powerful, Juanegro wins the girl in a humorous outcome. There is a dance photograph in Barbara Mauldin’s book- Tigers, Devils, and the Dance of Life: Masks of Mexico, p. 32, which shows a male dancer dressed in women’s clothes, flanked by the two suitors. You can also see a pair of Juanegros on page 30 of Mauldin's Masks of Mexico.

These are excellent examples of this type of mask. Thinly carved of hardwood, they show significant wear. The relief carved features are very pleasing. These masks probably date back to the 1980’s or earlier, when they were collected in the field by the noted collector, Jaled Muyaes of Mexico City. Quite a nice price for a matched pair.

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