The Masks of Mexico ~ NYT

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Alberto, July 13

Photographs by Russell Monk with Text by Valerie Mejer Caso

Mr. Monk is a photographer. Ms. Mejer Caso is a Mexican poet and visual artist

Feb. 25, 2021

SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE, Mexico — We Mexicans live behind masks of our own creation, even if in these portraits they are more a symbolic gesture of futility than protection.

Masks have long been a part of our cultural history, from the Lucha Libre masks to those worn for la Danza de los Viejitos, a traditional folk dance from the State of Michoacán.

They are like a garment that protects our vulnerabilities and allows us to express ourselves.

The city of San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, where we live, was quick to enact a strong response to the coronavirus and, as a result, the city has one of the lowest case rates in Mexico. But its citizens, already economically battered, have been depleted by the pandemic.

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