Felipe de Jesus Horta Tera

Mexico | Wood Mask Carving

Felipe de Jesús Horta Tera is a master mask carver from Tócuaro, Michoacán, a Purépecha community known throughout Mexico for its carved wooden masks used in pastorela celebrations held each year around Candlemas. He is a second generation mascarero who began learning at age twelve from his father, Eustacio Horta Castillo, continuing a family line of mask makers active since the 1940s.

His work centers on carved devil masks and character masks used in traditional pastorela dances, where figures such as Luzbel, Astucia, and Pecado confront the archangel Michael. These masks are central to local performance traditions and are widely recognized by collectors and folk dance groups. Each piece is carved from copal or avocado wood, shaped with gouges, sanded, sealed, and finished with layers of paint and automotive lacquer. Designs are guided by imagination within established cultural forms, and every mask is individually detailed and signed.

Production takes place in a small family workshop shared with his wife and daughter. Felipe handles wood selection, carving, painting, and final finishing. His wife prepares sealant and base coats, and his daughter assists with fine painted details. No outside producers are involved, and knowledge is passed within the family and community through daily practice and teaching.

Felipe has participated in multiple folk art markets and exhibitions in Mexico, the United States, and Europe, including IFAM in 2009, and continues to teach younger family members so the Tócuaro mask tradition continues.