Folk art, hand-made Mayan death mask, Mexico 1990s

Gorgeous hand-made Mayan Death Mask. Geometrically assembled semi-precious gemstones, including turquoise, onyx, abalone shell, mother of pearl. Beautiful mosaic sculpture. Great colors!

These masks were made by local artisans in Mexico and each one is totally unique.

The Aztecs made masks for different rituals and for different gods. The death masks had open mouths and were placed on the faces of dead nobles. The masks would also be worn during certain ceremonies by a priest in an attempt to gain the attention of the gods, also with hope that the gods would recognize them as important…. and grant them all their wishes and prayers.

This is a relatively new mask.