Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) have been around for years since its momentum began in 2017. Thousands of collections in different blockchains emerged. Some have been successful, others have gone into oblivion, and many NFT projects are still coming out now and then.
So it is no surprise that Maya Protocol (the friendly fork of THORChain), has its own NFT collections too. The Genesis Collection launched and was opened for public minting in July last year.
Let's take a closer look at what they are and what are their purposes for the protocol.
Maya Masks
They are the official NFT collection for Maya Protocol, featuring unique NFT wearables for a user's Web 3.0 avatar. This means that users can use the masks as accessories to their Picture-for-Profiles (PFPs).¹
Per the documentation, there were 6060 Genesis Maya Masks created but only 1,689 of them were minted during the public minting schedule, hence the remaining 4,371 were burnt. These NFTs are on the Ethereum chain and they have plans to migrate them to the Aztec Chain in the near future.²
The NFTs are still active and being transacted to date. There are only 306 owners and a total of 2,450 transfers per the info on Etherscan.
Contact Address: 0xe00d8f3dca2ac474f4d7f177570f77de0774e754
2% of the collection is listed and viewable on OpenSea with a floor price of 0.0945 ETH.
The artist who created the Genesis Collection is Santiago Barba, who according to his profile is a Mexican Musician, Sculptor, and Graphic Designer.
Main Utilities of Maya Masks
✅Staking: Users can stake their Maya Masks to receive daily $CACAO rewards from the protocol when Aztec Chain is launched.
✅Can be used as an access pass for community events, channels, and future collections.
✅Holders receive a one-time airdrop of MAYA and AZTEC tokens. Each Maya Mask contains 4.5 MAYA & 4.5 AZTEC of which 80% are locked in the Mask and 20% will be airdropped.³
✅Users can use the masks to accessorize their avatars or other popular NFTs like the Bored Ape etc. To do that, there's the Maya Mask Editor where they can complete the process in a few simple steps:
👉Uploading own avatar
👉Clicking on "Wear your mask"
👉Uploading the sticker (Maya Mask)
👉Exporting the image
I would assume users can then use that exported image to be their PFP in any of their social media accounts.
Collection Categories/Styles
The collection has various categories (1,200 masks each), having its own unique and representative background with fascinating stories behind them.⁴
Do note that not every piece in the collection exists because the majority of them were not minted so they were burnt after the public minting ended last year.
❇️Ancient
Accordingly, this is a traditional concept that represents the rekindling of the Mayan tradition and honoring their ancestor's legacy.
❇️Cosmic
This category arises from the belief of the Mayans that "the observation of the stars was of vital importance for the development of material and spiritual life."⁵
❇️Cyber
The concept of technology meeting the past. A mix of the old and modern cultures.
❇️Dark
"Shadows of the underworld", as they put it. The masks in this category represent the journey to Xibalba, which for the Mayans was the underworld where accordingly, the "spirit was diluted and rekindled in another being."⁶
❇️Light
This style represents a rebirth of the Mayan culture. Their belief of the spirit is immortal and exists after death even after the body dies.
Maya Masks have two types and the above categories are those that fall under the Regular Type.
The second type is the Golden Masks (below), which are the rarest pieces with increased or boosted utility than the regular ones.⁷
❇️Gold
Only 60 pieces in this category and according to the description, they represent wealth and power, they were "sent by the gods and designed to grant maturity, courage, and fulfillment to their wearers."⁸
Summary & Personal Thoughts
Maya Masks are NFTs on the Maya Protocol. The concept of these NFTs is quite interesting, with them having a fun and a very unique use case - being designed to be used as wearables or accessories in any PFP.
Can you imagine a Punk NFT wearing a golden Maya Mask? That's quite an upgrade to the usual uses for an NFT, right?
How are you digging this Bored Yacht Ape NFT with a Maya Mask on?
The Genesis Collection, having only 1,689 in the market are unique pieces, and holders of them benefit in various ways (airdrops, daily rewards, access to exclusive community events etc.) I am now wondering if the protocol will come up with another collection in the future, but will be looking out for it for sure! Lead image created on Canva. Photos from MayaMask. Screenshots are linked directly to their sources. No copyright infringement intended. 27082023/10:40ph
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