There is no Q in Ecuador

I wanted to add more regarding the Año Viejo Masks.


As Terry said, they are for sale on almost every street corner and they vary considerably in quality. I think most people buy a mask instead of making one. They are not very expensive and many are made to represent celebrities. You can buy an entire dummy with mask, but many folks just buy the mask separately and make their own body to put it on.

On the left is a typical display of masks for sale. And below is another example of how they are used on dummies.

Cayo's sister, Eliana, bought a mask for her son, Wolfgang. Now, there will be more posts later regarding this precocious lad, but I must tell you the story of his name. He was named after a German priest who is a friend of the family. His nickname is Lobo. Get it? Anyway everyone calls him Lobo or Lobito.

The first photo below is of Lobo in the mask. Behind him are his mother, Cayo, and Emily. The second picture is of Terry trying on the mask. I don't think this mask is a caricature of anyone in particular. I think it just appealed to Eliana and Lobo.