CORY REYNOLDS | DATE 5/5/2021

We're celebrating Cinco de Mayo with Phyllis Galembo's classic 'Mexico Masks Rituals'

Phyllis Galembo's Mexico Masks Rituals is one vibrant book. Featured photograph, Family in Maguey Masks (2016), is reproduced from the section on the festival of Corpus Cristi (body of Christ), which takes place during late April or early May, "a time that coincides with the onset of the summer rains," according to essayist George Otis. "In agricultural communities that depend on rainfall, this is one of the most critical times of the year. In ancient Mesoamerica, the peoples' ancestors were deified, and became the objects of rituals and prayers for rain, fertility, health and good fortune. Even 500 years after the Spanish conquest and the Christianization of the population, Mesoamerican beliefs and practices continue to underlie much of popular Catholicism in Mexico."