Carnival Mask

Grade Range: K-12
Resource Type(s): Artifacts, Primary Sources
Date Posted: 2/19/2009

This elaborate mask, made around 1980, is painted in red and black, the colors of the city of Ponce. Masks like this are typically worn by young men from the neighborhood, who don the costume of a vejigante, a character who roams the streets during Carnival, playfully scaring children and other revelers, and swatting them with vejigas (balloon-like, inflated animal bladders).

Use this Investigation Sheet to guide students through describing the object and analyzing its meaning.