Mask · Early Classic
Teotihuacan stone mask
200–600 CE, Teotihuacan
Teotihuacan masks are the classic sculpture of the great central Mexican city between about 200 and 600 CE and were almost certainly attached to funerary bundles or statues, since they have no eye-holes. Excavated examples come from the Pyramid of the Moon offerings and the city's apartment compounds; the majority in collections have no documented findspot. They set the price ceiling for Mesoamerican stone sculpture and attract correspondingly serious forgery.
| Object | Mask |
|---|---|
| Dates | 200–600 CE |
| Period | Early Classic |
| Cultures | Teotihuacan |
| Regions | Mesoamerica |
Diagnostic traits
A broad, flat stone face of serpentine, greenstone, onyx or calcite about 150–250 mm wide, with a straight brow, almond eyes once inlaid with shell and pyrite, a wide horizontal mouth and drilled holes at the edges.
Identification
The proportions are wider than a human face, with the ears reduced to flat lugs and the mouth partly open; Olmec masks have the downturned jaguar mouth and are older, and Mezcala masks are abstract and much smaller. Aztec masks reuse Teotihuacan style but with inlaid eyes and sometimes teeth. Mosaic-covered masks are a distinct luxury version.
Reproductions and fakes
Modern masks in the same stones are cut with rotary tools, leaving regular drill marks in the eyes and mouth; genuine work shows string-sawing striations, hollow drilling with concentric grooves, and a soft surface polish with edge wear. Provenance before 1972 (Mexico's federal law) is required for lawful sale.
Cite this article
Stratum Strata. "Teotihuacan stone mask" (Artifact type). Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/strata/types/teotihuacan-stone-mask. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-teotihuacan-stone-mask,
title = {Teotihuacan stone mask},
author = {{Stratum Strata}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/strata/types/teotihuacan-stone-mask}},
year = {2026},
note = {Artifact type article, Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum, commons. Accessed 2026-09-21.}
} Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.