Mesoamerican Mask Collection
The Center for Latin American Studies is proud to be the home of an extensive Mesoamerican
Mask Collection originally curated by Dr. Janet Brody Esser. This collection includes
over 300 masks from regions in Mexico, such as Michoacan, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Puebla,
and more. The masks are made of wood, paper mâché, leather, and clay. Many contain
organic elements, including animal horns, cow teeth, wool, horsehair, animal skin,
and corn. This collection is accessible through this website or by appointment.
About Janet Brody Esser
Dr. Janet Brody Esser (1930-2019) received her B.A. from the University of Iowa, M.A.
in art history with an emphasis on anthropology and archeology from California State
University, Long Beach, and Ph.D. in art history from UCLA. She was a professor emerita
in the Art and Latin American Studies Departments of San Diego State University from
1975 until 2003. Dr. Brody Esser was a renowned expert in the fields of Mexican folk
art and Indigenous Mexican culture, especially those of the state of Michoacán.
In 1988, she served as the senior curator of “Behind the Mask in Mexico,” an exhibition
mounted by the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and funded
by the National Endowment for the Humanities. She edited the illustrated catalog for
the exhibition and authored several essays on mask-making and the ritual use of masks
by the Michoacán. Published by the Museum of New Mexico Press, the catalog won the
Hubert B. Herring Memorial Award for the best scholarly book published in 1988 by
the Pacific Coast Council for Latin American Studies. In 2006, Los Amigos del Arte
Popular bestowed its annual Van Deren Coke Achievement Award for her contributions
to scholarly knowledge and an appreciation of American and Latin American folk art.
About the Collection
Dr. Esser collected these masks by purchasing them from artists and local vendors. She and her team created the inventory, which includes photographs of masks and specific metadata about each mask. The Center for Latin American Studies at San Diego State University created a secondary inventory for additional masks that were donated but not included in Dr. Esser’s original inventory.
The item numbers are arranged based on Esser Brody’s inventory. Additional masks not included in the original inventory were given unique identifiers for cataloging purposes.
- Esser's Inventory
- Secondary Inventory
- Location of each mask in the center (access to this document is by request only)
Masks may be viewed by appointment only. The collection opens for viewing on August 19, 2024 (the calendar will open on August 12 for appointments).
For research projects/thesis involving masks additional slots can be arranged, please contact [email protected].