Vejigante Masks

The vejigante is the horned trickster figure of Puerto Rican carnival, and the mask is made in two quite different traditions. In Ponce they are built up in papier-mâché over a clay mould, painted in strong colours with spots and stripes, and given as many horns as the maker can manage; families there have made them for generations and sign their work. In Loíza, a town with deep West African roots on the north coast, they are carved from coconut husk instead, browner, rougher and closer to the mask traditions the tradition descends from. The name comes from the vejiga, an inflated animal bladder the character once carried to strike at onlookers.

What you actually see

• Ponce papier-mâché masks - many-horned and brightly painted, signed by makers.
• Loíza coconut masks - carved from husk in a distinct older tradition.
• The workshops - families working in both towns, open to visitors.
• The festivals - Ponce carnival in February, Loíza's Santiago Apóstol in July.

When to go

Year-round for workshops, which generally welcome visitors on weekdays. The Ponce carnival runs in the week before Lent, usually February, and Loíza's festival is at the end of July; both are when the masks are actually worn rather than sold.

Honest expectations

Much of what is sold in San Juan souvenir shops is imported or mass-produced, and the signed work from a named maker costs several times more. Masks are bulky and fragile, which makes them awkward to carry home. Workshop hours are informal, so calling ahead helps.

Nearby

Ponce's old town is the base in the south; Loíza and Piñones are east of San Juan.