The embedded image is mask probably worn for a ceremonial dance for a Maya ruler, reconstructed from fragments found at an archaeological dig at the Maya capital city of Aguateca in Guatemala.
Although scholars have guessed that the masks were made of wood or other
organic materials, the example from Aguateca is the first one ever
found to reveal that at least some masks were created by soaking
gauze-like textiles in clay and shaping them into the contours of a
face. When the clay was fired, the textiles burned off, leaving a mask
that was light and comfortable to wear.
From the archives of
Archaeology Magazine. Photo credit
Takeshi Inomata
In highschool I took a ceramics class and one of the projects was wrapping plaster of paris (sp?) around a person's face. We split in to little groups and everyone helped each other create a mask. We put little straws up our noses so we could breath because we covered from forehead to chin. I didn't put enough lotion on my eyebrows so a few got pulled out when it dried. I still have my face mold 16years later, eyebrow hairs still attached. Still fits for the most part. My group chose to fill the molds with chocolate as a gift to our parents. That was pretty cool ( but didn't turn out great). I should get some clay and make a new mask out of it. -Antoine
ReplyDelete