The Symbolism, Use, and Archaeological Context of Masks in Formative Period Coastal Oaxaca, Mexico

• Published in: Cambridge archaeological journal 2020-05, Vol.30 (2), p.257-274
• Main Authors: Hepp, Guy David, Barber, Sarah B., Brzezinski, Jeffrey S., Joyce, Arthur A., Wedemeyer, Rachael L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Archaeology; Deities; Hispanic people; Masks; Materialism; Musical instruments; Ontology
• ISSN: 0959-7743; 1474-0540
• DOI: 10.1017/S0959774319000623

The production and use of masks at multiple scales and in diverse contexts is a millennia-long tradition in Mesoamerica. In this paper, we explore some implications of Mesoamerican masking practices in light of materiality studies and the archaeology of the senses. We also discuss a collection of 22 masks, miniature masks and representations of masks from the lower Río Verde valley of coastal Oaxaca, Mexico. The iconography of these artefacts as well as their recovery from well-documented archaeological contexts inform our interpretations of masking practices during an approximately 2000-year span of the Formative period (2000 bc–ad 250). Specifically, we argue that these masking-related artefacts index sociocultural changes in the region, from the first villages and the advent of ceramic technology during the Early Formative period (2000–1000 bc ) to a time of increasing consolidation of iconographic influence in the hands of the elite in the final centuries before the Classic period. As indicated by their continued use today, masks have long been intimates of communal activities in Oaxaca.