In pre-Columbian Mexico, the Aztec carved burial masks out of wood, stone, papier mache, bone, or clay: decorative ornaments that represented Aztec deities. The Aztecs had a variety of religious practices involving death and burial practices. In Aztec cosmology, death was viewed as a journey to another realm of existence. A mask was a transformative tool, worn during ceremonies that were said to give priests the power to embody the deity it represented. When placed on an inanimate object, a mask was believed to animate it: to give the object life, taking on the identity of the deity the mask symbolized.
In Mesoamerican religions, deceased souls went to one of three destinations, determined by their manner of death. People who died by drowning, lightning strikes, or water-related illnesses were buried and their souls sent to Tlālōcān, where they would spend eternity with the god of rain, Tlāloc. People who died of natural causes or diseases, or who were condemned to death as punishment for a crime, were cremated and their souls sent to Mictlān, where they would spend eternity with the god of death, Mictlāntēcuhtli. Finally, people who were killed in combat, sacrificed in war, or died during childbirth would go to Ōmeyōcān, the highest of the thirteen heavens, where their souls would spend eternity with the god of life and duality.
Aztec masks were valuable because they were believed to derive power from the materials used to make them. The most powerful and highly-valued masks were made of expensive materials such as turquoise, jadeite, gold, or greenstone delivered from mines in nearby communities. In Aztec society, the most prestigious people wore powerful masks that were not accessible to commoners. An Aztec ruler would wear a mask representing Xiuhtecuhtli, the fire god, whose festival was celebrated during the eighteenth month of the year. An Aztec priest would dress as a deity for an important ceremony, symbolizing the status they had acquired from the deity.
Because the government depended heavily on the support of Aztec military, many masks were made for or by Aztec warriors: some made of the skulls of conquered enemies. A warrior who killed his first captor was said to assume another face, implying that his mask offered a new identity or social status. Masks were a means of advertising the wearer's special association with a deity - and in some cases, may have temporarily transformed the wearer into the deity. This gave the wearer special powers that allowed them to perform godlike tasks. Due to their high status in society, Aztec priests and rulers had the right to wear masks that represented the most powerful and important deities in the pantheon.