A stunning Tigre mask in the Museo de Arte Popular in Mexico City.
I love Mexican masks, but the Tigre (Mexican colloquial for Jaguar) mask is my favourite.
The mask is from the city of Zitlala in Guerrero, where they’re used on the feast day of the Holy Cross in early May.
During the festivities, men from different barrios wear jaguar costumes and beat each other over the head with knotted ropes.
It’s rough stuff. But fighting is considered a crucial part of asking local deities for rain during the spring planting season.
The leather masks are worn to protect the wearer from injury.
I have a Tigre mask, which I purchased in a market in San Ángel, Mexico City. But while it looks great, I don’t expect it’s authentic.
I wish I had a genuine mask like this battered beauty!
The Museo de Arte Popular is my favourite museum in Mexico City, and displays folk art and traditional treasures from across Mexico.
