TITLE: Epiphany Play Mask
TYPE: face mask
GENERAL REGION: Latin America
COUNTRY: Mexico
SUBREGION: Chiapas
ETHNICITY: Mayan (Zoque)
DESCRIPTION: Three Kings Mask from Epiphany Play
CATALOG ID: LAMX001
MAKER: Unknown maker, probably in Ocozocoautla de Espinosa
CEREMONY: Epifania
AGE: 1988
MAIN MATERIAL: wood
OTHER MATERIALS: paint; glass eyes; animal hair eyelashes; hardware
This mask probably represents one of the three kings or “magi” who, in Christian mythology, visited Bethlehem on the night of Jesus of Nazareth’s birth to give gifts to his parents. Such masks are danced in the town of Ocozocoautla de Espinosa to celebrate Epifania, or the Catholic Feast of Epiphany, also known as Three Kings’ Day, on January 6. The holiday is supposed to commemorate the appearance of Jesus to the gentiles as a prophet or, in Catholic mythology, a unique manifestation of the Israelite god Yahweh.
