TITLE: Tlacolorero Rastrero
TYPE: face mask
GENERAL REGION: Latin America
COUNTRY: Mexico
SUBREGION: Guerrero
ETHNICITY: Nahua & Mixtec
DESCRIPTION: Rastrero (Tracker) Mask
CATALOG ID: LAMX017
MAKER: Unknown
CEREMONY: Danza de los Tlacoloreros
AGE: ca. 1960
MAIN MATERIAL: wood
OTHER MATERIALS: paint; plant fiber; steel nails
The Danza de los Tlacoloreros tells the story of farmers who banded together to hunt jaguars committing depredations on their livestock. Its origin was the precolonial dance in honor of the Aztec god Tláloc, praying for rain for a good harvest. It is commonly danced in Guerrero.
The Rastrero is the peasant who acts as tracker of the jaguars. This mask was used for many years and periodically, though inexpertly, repainted as old coats wore off, with new plant fibers attached as beard and mustache over time.
