Copper mask, 'Sun God Temple'

Radiant and mystical, this mask of the sun is a stylized replica by the talented Ana Maria Enciso. The original piece adorns the grand Coricancha temple, dedicated to the Sun God in the Imperial City of Cuzco. Enciso casts the mask in copper with amazing detail; it features six felines and the face of a divinity on top. The mask undergoes a galvanized bath to obtain the green undertones that embellish it. The Spanish conquistador Diego de Trujillo wrote that when he and his troop arrived at Coricancha temple, a "regally dressed" priest stopped them and told them that in order to be worthy of entering the temple they should not have eaten, be bare-footed and carry a heavy load on their backs in a sign of respect and humility towards the Sun God. Coricancha was regarded as the "Place of Gold, " for the Sun God was to the Inca their supreme deity.