Mosaic mask of Tezcatlipoca

Mosaic mask of Tezcatlipoca

Collection: The British Museum
Location Found: Modern day Mexico
Date: 1400 - 1521

A mask was placed upon an ill person in order to direct divine power for their healing, and was not to be removed until they healed or died. A mask could also be placed upon the dead to not only conceal their true identity on the perilous journey to the next world, but also to act as their new identity. These masks were said to grant great and divine power in the afterlife to those who wore it. They were often crafted out of valuable materials and constructed to represent the faces of gods, whose powers would be with them in the next life. Most often, these masks are found alongside the bodies of higher members of society such as kings and warriors.