The Cebu gold death mask: Proof of Cebu’s vibrant pre-colonial culture

via Cebu Daily News, 02 August 2023: A complete set of a 15th-century gold death mask, a significant funeral tradition in pre-colonial Philippines, has been brought back to the National Museum in Cebu for display.

The National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) then immediately launched an archeological rescue to retrieve and study the artifacts, the most valuable of which was a skull with its eyes, nose, and mouth covered in sheets of gold.

The findings later became proof that wearing of gold death masks was also being practiced in pre-colonial Cebu.

Archeologists believed the gold mask ‘belonged to a person of status’, based on its burial style. Aside from the mask itself, the remains, found inside a large ceramic container, also had a gold dagger.

Source: The Cebu gold death mask