Today I have just four more Pascola masks from Sinaloa to show you. Three of them have prominent teeth. The first of these appears to be worn, and most of the hair has been lost. I bought this mask from Tom Kolaz in 2007, It lacked provenance.
I doubt that this mask was ever painted.
There are jagged teeth.
There is no forehead cross.
This mask is 8½ inches tall, 6 inches wide, and 2¼ inches deep.
The back appears to be stained from use.
The second mask, like the first, is unpainted. It doesn’t appear to have been danced, but it is carefully carved. I bought it on EBay™ in 2007, from Joe Tuzz.
It has a Christian cross.
There is no rim design.
The mouth is simply but effectively carved.
This mask is 8¼ inches tall, 5¼ inches wide, and 2¼ inches deep.
There is no indication of use.
The third mask has a toothy grin. I must have purchased it on EBay™, but I have no record.
From the front, there is no apparent patina from use.
The rim design was painted freehand, it would seem.
There is an attractive Maltese cross on the forehead.
The hair bundles were installed in a nearly full circle, save for a gap in the area just in front of the forehead cross.
This mask is 7½ inches tall, 5½ inches wide, and 2½ inches deep.
The back does not appear to be stained from any level of use.
The last mask is of an appropriate size for a child. I obtained this mask from Tom Kolaz in 2007. It was said to be undanced.
There is an attractive rim design.
The forehead cross appears to depict light shining in the four cardinal directions.
This mask has jagged teeth like those on the first mask.
This mask is 6¼ inches tall, 4½ inches wide, and 1¾ inches deep.
This mask appears to have mild staining from use.
Next week we will begin to examine the masks worn by Judios during the Semana Santa performance in Sinaloa.
Bryan Stevens