Xantolos are masked dancers who appear only for the Day of the Dead/ All Souls celebrations, each year. As is the case for many different dances throughout Mexico, they perform in two parallel lines, moving to the music of fiddle and guitar, their movements reminding us of American square dancing or European court dancing with lines passing through the middle, circling to the outside and reversing. They are better known in Hidalgo, but these Xantolo masks from Tiliche are well documented. See Barbara Mauldin’s book, Masks of Mexico, p. 40.

This piece is rare. It has old repairs from being split and broken under the chin and has fantastic wear... a very nice old mask.

$375