Wood, pigmentexpand_more
The Paul C. Johnson, Jr. Fundexpand_more 99.3.2
This mask represents Pedro de Alvarado, a Conquistador, and is used during the Dance of the Conquest that is performed in the Quiche region of Guatemala. In this dance, Alvarado and his soldiers battle with Tecun Uman, one of the last great Maya heroes. During the fight, the conquistador falls from a great wound inflicted by Tecun Uman, who thinks he has won and walks away, but Alvarado gets up and kills the Maya warrior before finally dying himself. The dance is accompanied by drums and whistles and the participants shout out the Quiche words of the ancient poem describing the conflict.
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