This is the third in a series of posts that are based on interesting and important masks from the James and Jane Urmston collection of Mexican dance masks. I am using this collection as a springboard for exploration of Mexican mask traditions.
The Urmstons are in the process of selling their collection. Because the collection is actively for sale, I can not guarantee that a particular mask will remain unsold by the time it appears on this site, and only two of their masks are featured in today’s post, the first and the last! You are advised to act promptly to pursue any mask that does interest you. Note that I have no commercial interest in these sales; I am simply relishing the opportunity to share this collection with interested collectors, whether to purchase or simply to learn from. You may contact the Urmstons at urmston@verizon.net.
This week I will introduce a vivid dance from the town of Naolinco in the Mexican state of Veracruz. As you will see from a You Tube™ video that follows the first photo, this dance is usually referred to as a local version of La Danza de los Moros y Cristianos (the dance of the Moors and Christians), but it is far better understood as an example of the Santiagos (or Santiagueros) dance. For the curious, I will explain at the end of this post. In the Naolinco version, Santiago Apostol, who can also be called Santiago Caballero (Saint James with his dance horse) and two Santiagos (his lieutenants) oppose Pilato (Pontius Pilate). A group of Negritos (in this case “dark ones” or dark forces who clearly represent the dead) threaten and harass Santiago, while Los Caines (as in Cain the brother of Abel) mill about on the fringes of the action. Santiago and his Caballeros don’t wear masks, although Santiago does wear his usual dance horse, not unlike the larger one in my post of January 18, 2016. This is the only Mexican dance I know in which “Negritos” does not refer to African Americans.
I will begin with a mask typical of those worn by the Caines dancers; this mask is from the James and Jane Urmston collection and it is for sale as of this writing. Then two Pilato masks and a number of Negritos masks will follow, all from my collection and NOT for sale. At the end there will be a second Urmston mask that is currently for sale. Here is the Caines mask from the Urmston collection.

The general design features of the Caines masks for this dance include a pink face along with relief-carved brows, mustache, and goatee that are painted gold.
Here is a video of this dance. The Caines dancers wear conical blue caps that are decorated with stars. The leader of their group is Sabario, who wears a red conical cap.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mO2m7NV2FG8
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