This Mesoamerican mask is made of turquoise, conch shell (for the teeth), mother of pearl (for the eyes) and gold foil (for the eyelids) all on a cedar wood base (which is painted with red hematite on the inside). It is thought that the mask represents Xiuhtecuhtli, the Aztec god of fire and turquoise. The Aztecs believed that the center of the earth – where Xiuhtecuhtli lived - was made of turquoise. These turquoise mosaic masks were probably worn during creation ceremonies and for dramatic reenactments of heroic stories; they may have been worn by a person or attached to an effigy. Their beauty enthralled the conquistador Hernán Cortés, who brought back several as gifts for the Spanish King Charles V.
January's theme: sculpture
MIZTEC-AZTEC MASK, 1400 – 1520. British Museum, London UK.
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