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Lot 172 : (2) GUATEMALAN MOROS Y CRISTIANOS DANCE MASKS

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(2) GUATEMALAN MOROS Y CRISTIANOS DANCE MASKS
Dance of the Moors and the Christians
carved and polychromed, one a bearded man, the other a smiling young man, each with carved initials to the inside, PFS and PF, approx. 7.5"h; 6"w
The initials belong either to the carver, or the moreria, mask workshop, where masks were rented or sold to dance participants. To squelch beliefs of the indigenous people, pageantry was forbidden by the Spanish conquerers. The first dance pageant allowed in Mexico after the Spanish conquest was based on the Spanish (Christian) defeat of the Moors (Muslims from northern Africa) and their expulsion from Spain. During these times, Cristianos y Moros performances served to teach the superiority of the Catholic faith and discourage the "pagan" rites which the Spanish feared retained heathen messages.

Estimate: $400 - $600
Realized: $650 - Excluding Buyer's Premium


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