MASKS

There.e more stone masks from Teo-tihuacan than from any other Meso-american culture. It is generally believed they were funerary, but none have been found in burials. The only three that were scientifically excasated of the many hundred that are knoMii come from rooms and corridors in the administrative and temple buildings along the Street of the Dead. Most of the masks are too large and heay to have been worn and do not have their eyes pierced. There are, however, many holes on the sides and sometimes at the tops. apparenUy designed for attachment to something. It is likely that the masks were attached to human figures made out of perishable materials that, when dressed, were meant to look like the more costly large stone figures.

Only the most elite temples had whole figures of stone, whereas the masked figures, although still restricted to the temples, might have been more widespread. The ceramic Bust dth a Mask (cat. no. 60) indicates what these sculptures might have looked like and how the stone masks may have been attached to wooden armatures.

Besides the various holes drilled for attachment to a body and to things like a headdress, masks were further enlivened by inlay and paint. Two exca"ated masks, one from Teotihuacan and one from the Templo Mayor (cat. nos. 25 and 185) indicate that most had inlaid eyes and teeth, which made them more lifelike. Several masks also have cutout areas, presumably for inlay, and most masks probably once had earspools attached to them.

Teotihuacan stone masks are often thought to be standardized in form, and indeed most of them share a basically similar format — a dde, straight forehead, eyebrows formed by the sharp meeting of two planes in a horizontal line, eyes and mouth in parallel horizontals, and modeling restricted largely to the cheeks and lips. Widiin this general description are many variations. Some of what seem to be the most important masks are very large and heay, made from graniuc stones. The majorit)' of masks are smaller and fall into vertical, horizontal, and almost-square formats. Many masks are surprisingly three-dimensional from a side riew, with the nose and open lips creating a dramatically curving line.