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Costa Rican Balsa Wood Ceremonial Jaguar Mask, 'Boruca Jaguar'

Product ID: U74436

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Costa Rican Balsa Wood Ceremonial Jaguar Mask, 'Boruca Jaguar'

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This item is available for pre-order and will ship within 3 to 6 weeks. Learn More

Available in 3 to 6 weeks. Learn More

Details

Colorful motifs adorn the forehead and spirals appear on the cheeks of a fierce jungle cat. In Costa Rica, the jaguar is considered a national symbol. Carved by hand of balsa wood, this mask by Marcos Rojas depicts a jaguar. Such masks are used by the Boruca people in their annual Dance of the Devils celebrations held from December 31 through January 2. The dances reenact scenes from the Spanish conquest.

Made in Costa Rica

  • Balsa wood
  • Signed by the artist
  • Intended as wall decor
  • Hand-crafted item -- color, size and/or motif may vary slightly
  • Free Gift Wrap? No
  • Premium Gift Wrap? No
  • 70 grams
  • 0.2 lbs
  • 15 cm H x 11.5 cm W x 7 cm D
  • 6" H x 4.5" W x 2.8" D
View in metric units View in US/English units

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Marcos Rojas

Meet the Artist

Artfully crafted by Marcos Rojas from Central America.

 

Meet the Artist

Marcos Rojas

Marcos Rojas

"I love being able to make the richness of my culture known through art. Each mask has a story behind it."

"I am a native of the indigenous Boruca culture of Costa Rica. Here, spirituality, art, respect for nature, and the... traditions of our ancestors live on. Somewhere around the age of ten, I began my path in art. In my town, art was not well known. At the time, only white masks with natural dyes were made for the Festival of the Little Devils, an annual event that has been going on for more than a hundred years. It is one of our main Boruca cultural festivities.

"Ismael Gonzalez, a winner of the Costa Rican Culture Award, was the only man who could make these masks and, little by little, this tradition was being lost. An initiative by his son arranged for seven boys — including me — to learn this beautiful art from him so that the tradition would not be lost. We learned different painting techniques, but I was always interested in learning more. I was guided by books and by practicing more and more. We students also felt a strong sense of friendship and brotherhood, and became some of my best memories. From Ismael, I also learned respect for our ancestors and our culture.

"My first work of art was an asymmetrical traditional devil mask with inverted horns. Everyone else created symmetrical masks and Ismael found mine amusing. All my designs are original, and I'm in charge of carrying out the entire process of my works of art, from drawing and designing to painting. I love being able to make the richness of my culture known through art. Each mask has a story behind it.

"I am training several boys in my workshop, and I'm also teaching my sister's daughters in their spare time. I like to teach and enjoy sharing what I know. "The Boruca culture should not be forgotten, and I love my Boruca town. I want to take our culture wherever I go. With this goal, I have managed to expand and exhibit my art in other countries such as the United States, Germany and Spain."

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This item ships with a free artist storycard, so you can remember who you impacted today. Customized gift messages are also available with every order.

We want you to be 100% satified with your order, so if you are not completely happy with your item, you can return it within 60 days of receiving it.

Return instructions

We pack, ship, certify and 100% guarantee the quality of this item. Watch this video to see how.

This item is available for backorder and will ship within 3 to 6 weeks. Artists love to get backorders. Placing a backorder ensures that the artisan will do their best to create and deliver your item to our local office for shipment.

Although we cannot guarantee availability, we do expect to be able to fill the order within the timeframe indicated. But sometimes life happens - special materials may not be immediately available to the artist, or there might be some other circumstance beyond our control that could delay the shipment.

If for any reason we are unable to ship the item within the timeframe indicated, we will notify you.

In the unlikely even that we are unable to ship the item within the timeframe indicated, we will contact you and provide an updated delivery window.

This item has a special shipping flat fee which means that due to bulk, duties, or other special requirements, the item will be shipped to you via one of our special one-rate services. Shipping is only available to the United States (lower 48 States only).

WOMEN S M L XL XXL
4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22
BUST 35 - 36 37 - 38 39 - 41 42 - 44 46 - 48
WAIST 27 - 28 29 - 30 31 - 33 34 - 36 38 - 40
HIPS 37 - 38 39 - 40 42 - 43 45 - 46 49 - 50
MEN S M L XL XXL
CHEST 36 - 38 39 - 41 42 - 44 46 - 48 50 - 52
WAIST 30 - 32 32 - 34 35 - 37 38 - 41 43 - 45
NECK 14 - 14.5 15 - 15.5 16 - 16.5 17 - 17.5 18 - 18.5
SLEEVE 32.5 33.5 34.5 35.5 36.5
FINDING YOUR SIZE

Take your measurements with the tape measure over your under garments. If your measurements fall between sizes you may prefer the next larger size. Inseam, skirt and dress lengths vary by style and will be listed in the item description. Our sweaters are knit in standard American sizes, however actual measurements vary by style.

BUST / CHEST

Measure around the fullest part of chest under the arms and over the shoulder blades keeping the tape measure level.

WAIST

Measure around the smallest part of the waist keeping the tape measure comfortably loose. Most garments use the low waist measurement noted below.

LOW WAIST

Measure around the body approximately 1.5" below the natural waist (above). This is the area where most pants and skirts actually fit.

HIPS

Standing with your heels together, measure around the fullest part of the body approx 7"-8" below the waist.

NECK

Measure around the base of the neck keeping the tape measure comfortably loose.

SLEEVE

Bend elbow slightly and starting at the center back of the neck, measure across the shoulder, to the elbow and down to the wrist.

INSEAM

Our standard inseam length for women is 32" and 34" for men; however inseam measurements will vary slightly by style.

 

Belts with buckles are measured in inches that correspond to a waist size however, most people do not wear belts on the waist, they wear them closer to the hips. A buckle belt measurement is take from the end of the "pin" of the buckle to the middle hole on the belt. Generally there are 5 holes for size adjustment, with a 1" space between each, so the middle hole will the be average size of the belt.

For at tie belt (no buckle) measure the belt portion end to end and half of the tie portion. This again is the medium size of the belt.

For a soft fabric tie belt it can be called "1 size fits most" and the entire length of the belt should be measured and listed.

See buckle/tie belt size standards below.

WOMEN S M L XL  
4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22
inches 26 - 30 28 - 32 31 - 35 34 - 38 38 - 42
cm 76 - 86 81.5 - 91.5 86.5 - 96.5 91.5 - 101.5 96.5 - 106.5

+/- tolerance: 0.5 inches or 1.25 cm

MEN S M L XL XXL
inches 30 - 34 32 - 36 35 - 39 39 - 43 43 - 47
cm 81.5 - 91.5 86.5 - 96.5 91.5 - 101.5 96.5 - 106.5 109 - 119

+/- tolerance: 0.5 inches or 1.25 cm

Sash tie length

Lay sash/tie out flat away from the garment and measure from end to end.

Belt with buckle

Measure from the end of the pin of the buckle (where it touches the buckle) to the middle hole.

Belt without buckle

Measure from the belt portion end to end and half of the tie portion. This is will give you the medium size of the belt.

Download our printable ring sizing chart to find the perfect fit!

DOWNLOAD

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