Mask for the "Danza de los Negritos"

San Antonio Museum of Art, The Nelson A. Rockefeller Mexican Folk Art Collection.

Mask for the "Danza de los Negritos"

Date: ca. 1930

Medium: Polychromed wood, satin, tin foil, cardboard, and glass

Dimensions:

height: 60 in. (152.4 cm)

width: 11 in. (27.9 cm)

depth: 9 in. (22.9 cm)

Credit Line: San Antonio Museum of Art, The Nelson A. Rockefeller Mexican Folk Art Collection

Object number: 85.98.656

Label Text

The Danza de los Negritos translates roughly to the “Dance of the Black Men.” This dance is performed throughout Mexico, with great variation in the dancers’ clothing and mask styles. This mask from the town of Nahuatzen, Michoacán would have been used following Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, where the masked Black dancers accompany the procession of the Holy Child. The Danza de los Negritos in Michoacán possibly originated from the presence of enslaved African people in the region during the period of Spanish colonization (ca. 1521–1810).

La Danza de los Negritos es un baile que se realiza en todo México, con una gran variación en los estilos de vestimenta y máscaras de los bailarines. Esta máscara viene del pueblo de Nahuatzen, Michoacán, y habría sido usada después de la Misa de Gallo en Nochebuena, donde la Danza de los Negritos acompaña a la procesión del Santo Niño. Esta danza posiblemente se empezó a bailar en Michoacán por la presencia de africanos esclavizados en la región durante la época virreinal (ca. 1521-1810).

(LA, 2022)

On view

In Collection(s)

Latin American Art

The San Antonio Museum of Art is in the process of digitizing its permanent collection. This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect SAMA's complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.

Artwork

Mask for the "Danza de los Negritos"

Mask for the "Danza de los Negritos"