This wooden mask is commonly called tigre, but is actually a jaguar. Jaguars havedeep roots in Mesoamerican imagery, and are associated in the pre-Hispanic world with darkness, night, caves, and fertility.
In Guerrero the character is called tecuani. “people-eater.” These types of masks are famously used in the Danza de los Tecuanes and Tlacololeros traditions. During rituals at Zitlala, participants become tecuanes, symbolically transforming from man into jaguar and taking on associations with fertility and the earth. in the Batalla de los Tigres, jaguar characters actually fight one another as part of ceremonies connected with petitions for rain and the spring planting season.
DETAILS
Origin: Mexico, Guerrero
Date: C. 1940s - 1970s
Material: Carved wood
Dimensions: Apx: 9 inches High, 7 inches Wide
Condition: Good vintage condition with surface wear consistent with age and handling. No major structural. Please review all images carefully.
