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This small onyx mask was
given to me by a dear friend with whom I have not spoken in far too
long a time! It comes from the Yucatan area of Mexico, and is not more
than 100 years old. He brought it out about 25-30 years ago, along
with many larger masks and all sorts of awesome stuff. Such masks were
an integral part of the burial ceremonies of the old Mexican Indian
religions, and are still used- the locals there have created a "hybrid
religion", blending some of the old ways with modern Christianity.
I bought this
Smithsonite piece at a local mineral show for what I thought was a
laughably low price, given its formation. The mineral obviously formed
a crust around some protrusion (maybe a calcite or gypsum stalactite,
even) which subsequently dissolved or eroded away. I call it "the
mitten", as it has a stubby, almost thumb-like projection off of one
side. Its dimensions are aout 2.9 x 2.5 x 1.0" (7.4 x 6.4 x 2.5 cm),
so it is of a reasonably good size. It has a pretty good pale pink
color, too, though that is somewhat difficult to see.
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