Grant and Luke
Our Life in Photos and Words
It is interesting to see how each area we visit, the local culture has crafted their mask to represent something of importance.
I decided to start collecting masks to have a visual reminder of these cultures and to craft a really weird wall in my office.
This was the first mask that I ever purchased in Panama City, Panama.
In Panama this type of mask is called “diablico sucio.”
Diablico Sucio translates to “Dirty Devils” and are used in a dance during the Corpus Christi festival in Panama. The dance represents the battle between devils and an angel for the soul of a mortal.
This mask was purchased in one of the shops at La Bufadora in Ensenada, Mexico.
La Bufadora is the second largest marine geyser or blowhole located on the Punta Banda Peninsula in Baja California, Mexico. This marine geyser phenomenon is caused by ocean waves being forced into a partially submerged sea cavern, causing great amounts of air and water pressure to build. The air and ocean water are expelled through the only exit, launching it several stories into the air.
This masked was purchased after a bit of haggling from a street vendor in Old Shanghai.
Shanghai Old Street, historically called Miaoqian Dajie, is an old business street that has a combination of tourist attractions, shops, entertainment and cultural exhibits. Construction began during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) until the period when European influence made an impact on the city.
One of my favorite masks came from a gift shop called Cening Bagus, which is in Bali, Indonesia.
Masks, for the Balinese, serve as a lighting roads, to collect momentarily a portion of the cosmic energy, the vital life of the Universe. A Balinese ritual is an invitation to invisible forces to “come down” and listen to human requests for their protection and forbearance. God takes different shapes and forms to visit the world. The Balinese do not separate the supernatural from the natural. The spirit world is a living force that must be recognized and appeased through rituals and offerings.Masks are seen as aids not only in visualizing the divine powers but also in providing them momentary material manifestations.
This expensive guy was purchased from a local gift shop in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The vejigante is a folkloric figure whose origins trace back to medieval Spain. The legend goes that the vejigante represented the infidel Moors who were defeated in a battle led by Saint James. To honor the saint, the people dressed as demons took to the street in an annual procession.
The handiwork of artisan Miguel Caraballo.
We lucked out and were able to get this from our hotel, Xandari Hotel in Alajuela, Costa Rica.
The pride of the Boruca people is their ornately carved, wooden masks. This is an Ecological mask that are made to look like jaguars, birds or a combination of the styles.The ecological, or cultural mask, incorporates both the traditional design and more artistic representations of the ecology of Boruca. The masks are used during the Juego de los Diablitos (The Dance of the Little Devils) festival, the traditional New Years celebration.
This mask was purchased at the Ninoy Aqunio International Airport.
This is a Filipino Igorot carved wood tribal masks. I don’t have much more than this as I didn’t explore the Philippines all that much. It was a beautiful mask and I had to have it.
Xcaret owns Cancun so if you want something you can definitely find it at one of the parks and this is where I found this guy.
A cat headdress pays tribute to Chaak Balam, the "Grand Jaguar" of the ancient Maya pantheon and a symbol of power. Thinking about the world in this traditional way, every man carries the jaguar within himself, and every jaguar may be a man in disguise. This dramatic mask depicts an ancient Maya of noble standing, perhaps a priest or king.
This mask came to us oddly enough from Indonesia by way of Arizona. Grant and I stumbled upon this mask when we were on our secret COVID19 escape. I saw it and thought it was very macabre given the time that we were living in and had to have it.
The mask itself can be worn as a head piece due to its creation so it may be worn as part of a custom in the future!
This mask came from a Flea Market in Puerto Vallarta. I attempted to buy a similar mask in Mexico City in 2019 and was unable to purchase it due to a language issue. However, when I saw it this time I had to have it no matter the price. Needless to say— I got ripped off. However, my brain was overheating so I just agreed to a ridiculous crazy price just to be done and escape the heat. Montezuma strikes again!
The masks connected the Mayans to the spiritual world, protecting them in battle against their enemies and offering a way to channel energy outside of our ordinary world in ceremonies.
These masks came from a shop called Nim Pot in Antigua, Guatemala. There was a wall of masks to choose from and these were the ones that spoke to me. Funny thing— the one with the antlers had a missing ear so they dug in a basket to find a replacement. It doesn’t match in the slightest, but I liked it even more with the mismatched ears.
These masks came from Maui, Hawaii. There was a gift shop called Hawaiian Gift and Craft in Kihei, Hi that I stopped at the first morning while Grant slept. One of these is a mask and the other is a door knocker. The lei came from my aunt Gigi and just thought we would add it.
This colorful mask comes from Publeo Magico or Tepoztlán is probably my favorite shopping spot in all of Mexico. Known for its beautiful mountain views, narrow cobblestone streets, craft markets, and traditional celebrations this town is a shoppers paradise. Grant picked this mask up for me from a street vendo because I could not understand anything he was saying (Spanish).
This mask comes from Canada by way of Primitive Designs. This exotic and unusual antique/craft store finds things from around the around and sell them to consumers. Grant and I spent over an hour at this shop in Port Hope and could have been there even longer. Definitiely, a shop to stop out if you are ever right outside of Toronto.
This mask comes from Cartagena, Colombia. This is a Barranquilla Carnival mask and is made of a wood named Bombax Ceiba. With African lineage, these masks are painted, covered in resin, and are made by only a handful of artist custodians of the tradition. This was purchased at a shop near Santuario de San Pedro Claver.
This mask comes from Bogota, Colombia. The mask is unique because of the nose ring that moves. It is smaller in size, but intricate in its detail. The mask was purchased at an artisan shop near Museuo de Oro (Gold Museum) in the heart of the tourist area.
This mask comes from Delhi, India. This mask was purchased from an antique emporium and I spent way too much money on it. It is of Bhairav. Bharirav means “terribly fearsome form.” It is also known as one who destroys fear or one who is beyond fear. One interpretation is that he protects his devotees from dreadful enemies, greed, lust, and anger.