TITLE: Chivo Mask
TYPE: face mask
GENERAL REGION: Latin America
COUNTRY: Mexico
SUBREGION: Guerrero
ETHNICITY: Nahua
DESCRIPTION: Chivo (goat) mask with ixtle fiber headdress
CATALOG ID: LAMX015
MAKER: Unknown maker in San Roque, Mochitlán
CEREMONY: Carnaval de Chivos
AGE: ca. 1960s
MAIN MATERIAL: wood
OTHER MATERIALS: plaster; goat horns; oil paint; dyed ixtle fiber
In parts of Guerrero, multicolored goat masks are worn to celebrate the Carnaval (or Danza) de Chivos. The goats, almost always played by young men, dance in a group to brass instrument and drum music wearing long headdresses of straw. Some chivos play percussion instruments as they dance. The dance is usually performed in honor of the patron saint of the village.
