Mask

Teotihuacan, 300-650 AD

Malinaltepec

Stone, shells, obsidian, turquoise, corals

National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City

The mask base is made from volcanic stone, the face is executed in the technique of turquoise and coral mosaic. Eyes are made from shells and obsidian. Necklace from coral beads is attached to the mask. Face is made from pieces of blue turquoise, red coral strips represent eyebrows grown together, red coral meander ornament going from the upper lip to the middle of cheeks represent a nose decoration. The hieroglyph in the forehead (which may be the symbol of the herb malinalli) is made from red coral and white shell. Its name may then coincide with the name of the place where the mask was found, Malinaltepec or Grass Hill, in Herrero. Cultural influence of the Teotihuacan style in which the mask was executed is discernible in this area. Only three such masks were found in situ during excavations in Teotihuacan. They were unearthed in rooms and passages of administrative buildings and temples along the Road of the Dead. No archeological materials have been found so far which would suggest that these masks were placed over faces of mummies.