 Mixtec culture, Oaxaca, Mexico Mask of Tlaloc, c. 10th – 12th century carved basalt Purchase, 1973 (4154.1)
T he Mixtec (pronounced mish-tec) culture existed between the 10th and early 16th
centuries in part of what is the present-day state of Oaxaca in west Mexico, during
roughly the same period the Aztec empire rose farther east in central Mexico. Many
Mixtec, though not all, eventually paid tribute as vassals to the Aztecs. The Mixtecs
were particularly known for their objects in gold, but they also had a sculptural tradition
in ceramic and stone. This mask, carved in a very dense, fine-grained black volcanic
rock known as basalt, depicts Tlaloc, the god of rain, fertility, and water worshiped
throughout many Mesoamerican cultures. The identity of the deity is signified by the
large circles around the eyes, referred to as “goggle eyes.” Tlaloc is also usually
depicted with fangs coming out of each side of his mouth; these are not present here,
and the difference in surface and color between the mouth area of this mask and the
rest of the face, perhaps indicates that the mouth was reworked at some point and the
fangs were eliminated. |