• !!Exceptionally rare, danced, goiter mask!!
• From Rabinal, Baja Verapaz
• This mask (not one like it... but this mask), is featured in the forefront of Jim Pieper's 2006 book, Guatemala's Masks and Drama, page 132.
• In his book, the picture is dated 2002, so this mask is already documented to be approximately 14 years old.
• Given the thick poly-chrome paint and existing use, we can safely assume its a bit older at 20+ years old.
• Noticeable patina on the goiter and the lower chin area.
• This is the only goiter mask I've ever come across for purchase in over 12+ years of avid collecting.
• Made from a very heavy, dense, local cedar wood
• Branded with a large " I "
• Uses the same teal, paint to hint at a 5 o'clock shadow that is indicative of this region.
• This Patzcar dance is known to be older than the "Rabinal Achi dance", which is known to have existed before the Spanish conquest (i.e before 1524).
• UNESCO has deemed the dance a "Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" as of 2005.
• While the dance once represented shamanistic pleading for the relief of this painful and mysterious disease, we now know that this aliment is due to nothing more than a simple dietary deficiency (i.e a lack of iodine).
• The few other examples I have ever seen of this mask have included more grotesque examples that had open, weeping, wounds coming out of the goiter.
• The dance is unscripted, includes 15-30 dancers, and is most often preformed in front of the Catholic church and coincides with the Catholic rituals of Corpus Christi that honors the body of Christ.
• This is a museum quality artifact that deserves preservation.
• 12.5 x 7 inches
• Several other masks from my collection are currently posted - Check out my other items!