In the Negritos dance drama, Pilate leads the Pilatos (little Pilates) and the Negritos (dark forces) against Santiago and his men. The dark forces include malevolent clowns, vampires, pirates, werewolves and dancers wearing skull masks with clown suits. All this reflects one of the most engaging aspects of Mexican dances-- muddled history populated with a wild cast of characters.

This very large mask is in excellent condition,  dramatically carved, and it appears to be old, with heavy wear. One wonders if it might have been carved by a famous carver in Naolinco, Lino Mora Rivera, but it lacks his customary carved initials on the back. Probably it is by some other carver. One can see photos of Lino and of one of his Pilate masks in the book- Great Masters of Mexican Folk Art, pp. 266-7. These Pilate masks from Naolinco are among the largest of genuine Mexican dance masks.

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