Lost Heads of the Modotpetoc Tribe
Pre-hispanic hunter gatherers, the Modotpetoc were indigenous artisans. Consuming peyote inspired them to create memorial masks. These are the Lost Heads exhumed from ancient inland sand dunes, burial sites, under the Civic Center in the City of San Francisco.
Archaeologists found the masks during excavation of a historic bordello/ courthouse/ opium den. They are considered to be ornamental face coverings, icons representing deities both deceased and living.
Worn during ceremonial trances, the masks honor those who survived cataclysmic earthquakes. They were the gods worshiped by the tribe.
Modern Modotpetoc hang masks on the south walls of their homes. This custom perpetuates the myth. As sentries, the masks acknowledge bravery - not fear. They welcome apocalyptic seismic events. They embrace the rumbles of the beloved deceased.