Mask

The beautifully fitted stones of this mask of the rain god Tlaloc demonstrate the great lapidary skills of Mixtec artists, who also created fantastic mosaics on the façades of their architecture. The inlay pieces are graduated in size, with the smaller ones placed around the nose and mouth and the larger pieces set toward the outside. The use of varied sizes of inlay adds visual drama to the mask. The eyes of the mask are ringed with white shell, which was also used to make the teeth. Orange coral was used to form the headband and parts of the ears. Since both coral and shell come from the sea, their use here is symbolic of water. The inlay for the pupils is turquoise, whose color is also associated with water and with Tlaloc himself. The many references to water in this portrait of the god of rain allude to the Mixtec reliance on the rainy season that was their only hope for a successful corn harvest. This object could have served as a funerary mask in a burial, or it may have been placed in a shrine dedicated to Tlaloc.