Guatemalan Malinche mask

Dance of the Conquest, Guatemala

7.5 inches, painted wood

Malinche was a princess in the royal family of King Quiche who became the translator for Cortez. The conquistadores would have never been able to beat the huge Aztec army without her knowledge and assistance. She is believed to have eventually married Cortez. A very complex character, Mexicans consider her as both the heroic mother of all Mestizos and at the same time a traitor.

Well carved out of hard, red cedar. I do not know when it was made or if it was ever used. The well-worn look may have been created artificially. None the less, it is a very attractive mask.