Mask of Mictlantecuhtli, Lord of the Underworld

This panel is a mask of the skeletal face of Mictlantecuhtli, Lord of the Underworld and deity associated with the dead in Aztec belief.Throughout Mesoamerica, the wearing of masks was central to the performance of religious rituals and reenactments of myths and history. The face is the center of identity, and by changing one's face, a person can transcend the bounds of self, social expectations, and even earthly limitations. In this transformed state, the human becomes the god, supernatural being or mythic hero portrayed. Masks of skeletal heads, whether human or animal, are relatively common, for death played a central role in Mexica religion. Death was one of the twenty daysigns of the Mexican calendar, indicating its essential place in ...