Rare Old Monkey Mask - Ecuador

Description

This is an unusually large monkey (
mono
) mask from Ecuador, of the type used in the
Fiesta de la Mama Negra
(Festival of the Black Mama).
The Fiesta de la Mama Negra (Festival of the Black Mama) is a celebration held in September and again in early November in Latacunga, Ecuador. The event originates in pre-colonial indigenous practices and was adapted to honor the Virgin of Mercy (Virgen de la Merced) after Catholic conversion, in thanks for her supposed  intervention to protect the population from eruptions from the nearby Cotopaxi volcano.  The festival has become one of the most important in Latacunga, and includes a parade (
comparsa
) featuring the Mama Negra prominently as an African version of Mary, mother of Jesus.
Other important masks include animals like this one, the Rey Moro (King Moor, showing the influence of the Conquistadors), angels, clowns (payasos abanderados), and miscellaneous other characters. This festival opens with the huacos, representing precolonial Aymara shamans who parade to cure the diseases of the crowd.
Region: Ecuador
Origin: Latacunga, Cotopaxi
Ceremony: Fiesta de la Mama Negra
Type: Mono (Monkey)
Maker: Unknown
Age: ca. 1970s or 1980s
Materials: wood; paint
Dimensions: 15" x 12.5" x 6.5"
Please note that shipping to a post office box is much more expensive than shipping to a home.
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