South American masks
Aztec and South American art are a big influence in Hidden Place's mask designs as well as African tribal art.
Similar to African culture, the Aztecs believed that masks had a connection to a spiritual world and were only worn for special rituals. Most Aztec masks, however, were made only as ornaments for display and were made with no eye holes.
Masks were usually made or plated with solid minerals or stones such as green stone, turquoise, black obsidian, polished wood, volcanic glass, gold pyrite, coral or sea shells.
Death masks were made to be worn by royalty and noblemen to wear after their death or to be displayed as ornaments in memory of the deceased.
Sometimes, actual human skulls were used as bases of masks. Below is a human skull plated in turquoise and obsidian, made to represent the Aztec god, Tezcatlipoca.
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