Centre Street Building, Level 2A
Asa Ibile (Traditional culture) by Teddy Vazquez Tapia “Delfo” and Wilda Cruz Ortiz is on view in Latin American Art / Arte Latinoamericano.
This vejigante mask created by Teddy Vazquez Tapia “Delfo” and Wilda Cruz Ortiz makes reference to the African heritage of the Caribbean with its title, Asa Ibile. This phrase, from the Yoruba language of West Africa, could be translated as “traditional culture,” or perhaps “way of life” of the land and its peoples.
The concentric circles on the right cheek of the vejigante are one of the West African adinkra symbols often interpreted as greatness or charisma. The design also identifies the artistic family of Vazquez and Cruz. Teddy Vazquez says that vejigante masks, worn by people in festivals, have many interpretations. They work in the style of Loíza, Puerto Rico, where such masks are used in parades celebrating Santiago (St. James). Some see the masks as symbols of good and evil. But Vazquez says that they can also be considered as forms of resistance against the Spanish colonial presence in Puerto Rico because those who make them found a way to maintain long-held Indigenous and African traditions under the cover of Catholic festivities.