YOUNG MAYAN KING TECUN UMAN WOODEN RITUAL DANCE MASK

WELL HUNG - ART & COLLECTABLES

A MAYAN EXPERIENCE

MAYAN CEREMONIAL RITUAL DANCE MASK

HAND CARVED & PAINTED

BY A MAYAN MASTER CARVER

MAYA RITUAL - TECUN  UMAN -  HAND CARVED AND PAINTED  WOODEN MASK

A VERY FINE AND RARE EXAMPLE OF A SMALL

TECUN UMAN 

MASK

WITH TWO QUETZAL BIRDS ON BOTH SIDES OF TECUN UMANS HEAD 

TECUN  UMAN

LEDGEND SAYS TECUN UMAN THE YOUNG MAYAN QUICHE KING LED HIS ARMY TO MEET THE WHITE INVADER ON FEBRUARY 20 - 1524

AFTER A MORNING OF HEAVY LOSSES HE APPROACHED ALVARADO THINKING THAT IF HE COULD KILL THE SPANISH LEADER THE QUICHE MIGHT BE ABLE TO RALLY AND WIN

HE WAS ABLE TO KILL ALVARADO'S HORSE AND BELIEVING THAT ALVARADO WOULD ALSO DIE HE RELAXED - ALVARADO REGAINED HIS FOOTING AND KILLED TECUN WITH HIS LANCE

THE QUICHE NEVER RECOVERED FROM THIS DEFEAT

QUETZAL  BIRD

THE QUETZAL BIRD PLAYS AN IMPORTANT PART IN THE LEDGEND OF THE CONQUEST

THE GREAT NAHUA GOD QUETZALCOATL DERIVES HIS NAME FROM THIS SHY BIRD

ITS NAME MEANS BEAUTIFUL FEATHERS

THESE FEATHERS IN PRE-COLUMBIAN TIMES WERE RESEVERED FOR THE USE OF ROYALTY - THERE COLOR GREEN WAS THE MAYAN SYMBOL FOR ROYALTY

LEDGEND ALSO SAYS THAT WHEN ALVARADO KILLED AS MANY AS 30,000 QUICHES AT THE BATTLE OF XELAJU

( LATER NAMED QUETZALTENANGO )

MANY QUETZAL BIRDS CAME TO THE EARTH AND LAID ON THE BODIES OF THE DEAD WARRIORS AND KEPT WATCH DURING THE NIGHT

IN THE MORNING THEY RETURNED TO THE SKY BUT THEIR BREASTS WHERE COVERED IN BLOOD OF THE DEAD MAYA - FROM THAT DAY ON THE

QUETZAL BIRD HAD A RED BREAST

 MAYA QUICHE INDIAN FROM THE VILLAGE OF NAHUALA

PLACE OF THE SPIRITS 

IN THE DEPARTMENT OF SOLOLA

LAKE ATITLAN

A GREAT COLLECTOR PIECE

THIS MASK WAS CARVED AS A EXAMPLE OF THE CARVERS WORK TO BE HUNG ON HIS WALL FOR SHOW

VERY RARE TO FIND THIS TYPE  OF CARVING STILL AVAILABLE

WONDERFUL VINTAGE PATINA

CARVED EARLY 1900's

MADE OF WOOD AND HAND PAINTED

IN EXCELLENT VINTAGE CONDITION 

 WITH  THE USUAL SCRAPES THAT COMES WITH YEARS OF WEAR AND USE

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MAYA RITUAL DANCES

  THE DEER DANCE 

 ( LA DANZA DEL VENADO )

BEFORE THE CONQUEST THE DEER DANCE WAS A RITUAL DANCE OF THE HUNT. IN IT, GOD WAS ASKED PERMISSION FOR THE HUNT AND HIS PROTECTION WAS IMPLORED. AT TIMES THE DANCE WAS CONSIDERED A SACRIFICE TO GOD

THE DANCE OF THE CONQUEST

THIS DANCE DEPICTS THE CONQUEST OF GUATEMALA BY THE SPANISH IN 1524

THE DANCE SHOWS A SERIES OF EVENTS - THE WARNING TO THE OLD KING OF UTATLAN THAT THE SPANISH FORCES ARE ON THERE WAY TO THE QUICHE KINGDOM - THE PREPARATIONS FOR BATTLE IN XELAJU SITE OF THE PALACE OF THE YOUNG KING TECUN UMAN AND THE KILLING OF TECUN BY ALVARADO AND THE INDIANS ACCEPTING CHRISTIANITY

DANCE OF THE TORITO

THE BULL IS DRESSED IN ELABORATE CONQUEST TYPE CAPE - SHIRT AND PANTS AND STRUTS PROUDLY

THE OTHER CHARACTERS WEAR SPANIARD FACE MASKS AND COSTUMES - SIMILAR TO THOSE WORN IN THE DANCE OF THE CONQUEST

A WOMAN WEARING A  " MALINCHE " MASK ALSO USED IN THE DANCE OF THE CONQUEST CARRIES A SMALL BASKET TO COLLECT MONEY TO HELP FINANCE THE RITUAL DANCE FESTIVITIES

DANCE OF THE MEXICANS

A VERY POPULAR DANCE BECAUSE ITS LIVLEY MUSIC IS PROVIDED BY THE MARIMBA A FAVORITE INSTRUMENT OF CENTRAL AMERICA

THE " BAILE DE LOS MEXICANOS " IS A DANCE REPRESENTING WHAT THE GUATEMALAN MAYA INDIANS CONSIDER A MEXICAN FIESTA

BEGAN IN GUATEMALA AROUND 1940

BAILE TIPICA

IN LATE NOVEMBER IN THE VILLAGE OF ZUNIL THE MAYA INDIANS CELEBRATE THE FEAST OF SANTA CATALINA

THREE DANCE GROUPS PERFORM

TWO IN TRADITIONAL MASKS AND COSTUMES AND ONE IN WESTERN TYPE COSTUMES

SIZE

WIDTH  -  4 "

LENGHT  -   5 1/2 "

FRONT TO BACK  -   3 "

MASKING

MASKING IS A WORLD WIDE PHENOMENON. BEGINNING IN PREHISTORIC TIMES. CAVE PAINTING FIGURES HAVE BEEN FOUND WEARING MASKS. MASKING CONTINUES TODAY ALL OVER THE WORLD PLAYING IMPORTANT SOCIAL, POLITICAL, RELIGIOUS AND ENTERTAINING ROLES

IN THE RURAL VILLAGES OF GUATEMALA MASKS AND MASK CARVING HAS LONG BEEN A PART OF MAYA LIFE. FOR MANY GENERATIONS MAYA ARTISTS HAVE CREATED AND CARVED A VARIETY OF MASKS -- SAINTS - DEITIES - MAN - WOMEN - AND ANIMALS. USING DIFFERENT WOODS AND PAINTING THEM IN VARIOUS COLORS TO BE USED IN DIFFERENT CEREMONIES AND DANCES

MAYA EXCELLENCE IN ART   

MAYA

THE BEST KNOW OF THE PRE-CONQUEST INDIAN CIVILIZATIONS OF THE PRESENT CENTRAL AMERICAN AREA ARE THE MAYA. THOUGHT TO HAVE EVOLVED IN A PERIOD IN THE PACIFIC HIGHLANDS OF GUATEMALA AND EL SALVADOR BETWEEN 1500 BC  AND  100 AD. THE MAYA CIVILIZATION WAS BASED ON INDEPENDENT AND ANTAGONISTIC CITY STATES. FAR FROM BEING THE PEACEFUL CEREMONIAL CENTERS, THEY WERE WARRING ADVERSARIES, STRIVING TO CAPTURE VICTIMS FOR SACRIFICE. ROYAL BLOOD BEING THE MOST PRECIOUS OFFERING THAT COULD BE MADE TO THE GODS

ALONGSIDE THE PREOCCUPATION WITH BLOOD WAS AN ARTISTIC TRADITION RICH IN CEREMONY, FOLKLORE AND DANCE.  THEIR TOOLS AND WEAPONS WERE FLINT AND HARD STONE , OBSIDIAN AND FIRE-HARDENED WOOD

THE ANCIENT MAYA MADE EXQUISITE MASKS FROM CLAY, STONE, WOOD, GOLD, JADE, OBSIDIAN AND SHELL

LOOKING FOR A SPECIFIC - MAYAN OR CENTRAL AMERICAN - MASK - SANTOS - HUIPIL - TEXTILES - SLINGSHOT HANDLE - PURSE - HANDBAG - JEWELRY - COFFEE - JADE - TURQUOISE - ANTIQUES - BOOKMARKS - GREETING CARDS - NORTHWEST COAST - SALISH - HAIDA - POTTERY - CARVINGS - PAINTINGS

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