Colombian Carnaval de Barranquilla Mask (Model): "Monocuco"

This is a model of a Colombian mask used for the "monocuco" costume for the Carnaval de Barranquilla. The monocuco is the costume of the individual who wanted to hide his identity.

Local folklore says that in the days when Barranquilla was a village, rich men attracted by the beauty of poor women devised the disguise of monocuco in order to hide the men's identities so the women would not be interested only in the men's money. Currently, the monocuco is a costume with a mask and muzzle, allowing the wearer to hide his mouth.

The Carnival of Barranquilla, or in Spanish, Carnaval de Barranquilla, is Colombia's most important folklore celebration, one of the biggest carnivals in the world. The carnival has traditions that date back to the 19th century.

Forty days before Holy Week, overlapping the period of Lent on the Christian calendar, Barranquilla decks itself out to receive national and foreign tourists, and join together with the city's inhabitants to enjoy four days of intense festivities. Barranquilla´s Carnival includes dances like the Spanish paloteo, African congo and indigenous mico y micas. Many styles of Colombian music are also performed, most prominently cumbia, and instruments include drums and wind ensembles. The Carnival of Barranquilla was proclaimed a Cultural Masterpiece of the Nation by Colombia's National Congress on 2002. UNESCO, in Paris on November 7, 2003, declared it as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barranquilla's_Carnival http://www.carnavalesbarranquilla.com/2010/11/el-monocuco.html