Indigenous Americas 1000 BCE 1980 CE
Enduring Understandings Among the worlds oldest artistic traditions. Ancient America used to categorize are created before 1550 CE, includes south of current Mexico border. Content emphasizes unity with natural world, cardinal directions (N,S,E,W), spirituality, cosmic geometry, animal-based media. Stylistic focus on essence of objects rather than appearance.
Enduring Understandings continued 3 major distinct cultures: Olmec, Maya, Aztec Central Andean cultures parallel the old world, Chavin & Inka were representative cultures. Andean culture: survival on 3 different environments (mountain/desert coast/rainforest) emphasized trade in exotic materials. Native American art: mostly ritual objects to wear, carry, or use.
Chavin de Huantar Peru, Chavin People 900-200 BCE Temple, used for rituals Religious Capital Point of pilgrimage Stone architectural complex
Chavin de Huantar Lanzon Stela Granite Blade (spear) Stone Only high ranking officials could see this. Depicts a powerful figure that is part human body/animal claws & fangs. Possibly acted as an oracle
Chavin de Huantar Nose ornament Hammered gold alloy (jewelry) Golden jewelry, worn under nose Worn to make wearer into a supernatural being during ceremonies 2 snake heads on either end Worn to make wearer into a supernatural being during ceremonies
Mesa Verde cliff dwellings Montezuma County, Colorado Anasazi 450-1300 CE 3-D structure, building Housed about 250 people Sandstone pueblo built into side of cliff Top ledges stored supplies, keeping things cool & dry. Farming done on plateau above, everything was imported into the structure. Use of Torons (Compare Djenne)
Yaxchilan Chiapas, Mexico Maya 725 CE Structure 40 Limestone City set on a high terrace, plaza surrounded by important buildings Mayan Center Flourished 300-800 CE Built by ruler Bird Jaguar IV, or his son who dedicated it to him Carved stone Lintels made site famous
Yaxchilan Lintel 25, Structure 23 Carved Limestone Tells part of a story or ritual Depiction of rituals performed by Shield Jaguar II and his wife Holding bowl w bloodletting ceremonial items Building dedicated to Lady Xoc, bottom right invoking the Vision serpent to commemorate her husbands rise to throne
Yaxchilan Structure 33 Limestone Temple Remains of roof comb w/ perforations Large central room w corbel arch interior
Great Serpent Mound Adams County, Ohio Mississippian Art 1070CE Earthwork/Effigy mound Built in effigy shapes, uncertain of meaning. Snakes associated w/ crop fertility Depiction of a serpent effigy, head facing east, tail facing west. Mark time or seasons, perhaps indicating when to plant or harvest
Temple Mayor Tenochtitlan (Aztec) Mexico City, Mexico 1375-1520 CE Laid out in grid, seen as center of the world 2 Temples on top, each w/separate staircase. North: God of Rain (Tlaloc) South: God of sun & war (Huitzilopochtli) Sun rises between the 2 during spring and autumn equinoxes Fires burned on top
Templo Mayor a) Coyolxauhqui Stone Volcanic Stone Carved Monolith Relief Sculpture Story telling carved stone monolith. (a single stone serving as a monument) Content & Context..??
Templo Mayor b) Calendar Stone The Sun Stone Basalt Carving Reflected cyclic nature of time Very representative of sacrifice Snakes on outer ring make time happen Prophesizing death by earthquakes Tongue in mouth was anthropomorphic, a flint knife used to slash open victims https://www.khanacademy.org/testprep/ap-art-history/indigenous-americas/ v/sun-stone
Templo Mayor c) Olmec Style Mask Jadeite Olmec Culture 1200-400 BCE Buried in specific offerings, Looking to honor cultures before them Polished, upturned lips, baby face, almond eyes, cleft in head Aztecs collected items from all over, looking to the past Reverence for cultures before the Aztec
Rulers Feather Headdress (probably of Moctezuma II) 1428-1520 CE Feathers (quetzal and blue cotinga) Gold Part of ritual, part of performance Symbolic of eternity Transforms ruler into something different Find content & context
City of Cusco Peru (Inka) 1440 CE City, geometric standing structures Historical capital of Inkan Empire Center of existence and reflection of Inka power. In the shape of puma, royal animal The head is a fortress, the heart is a central square
City of Cusco a) Qorikancha (Inka Main Temple) Santo Domingo (Spanish colonial convent) Sandstone Golden House Shrine of the Inka dedicated to workship the sun Exemplified walls which tapered upward, Inkan Trapezoidal architecture Qorikancha was one of many Inka shrines turned into a Christian holy space. The monastery and church of Santo Domingo were built around and on top of the original shrine, incorporating the old structure into the new one
Cusco City b) Walls at Saqsa Wayman (Sacsayhuaman) Sandstone Described as a fortress Placed outside complex of city, at the head of the puma. Stones are massive, weighing up to 70 tons, taken from quarry 2 miles away.
Maize Cobs Inka 1440-1533 CE Sheet metal/repousse Gold & silver alloys Repousse: Metalwork hammered into relief from the reverse side. Naturalistic Form Celebrated Maize in sculptural form Principal food source in Andes Possibly may have been part of a garden in which full sized sculptures of maize and other items were placed alongside plants, ensuring a successful harvest.
City of Machu Picchu Central Highlands, Peru Inka 1450-1540 CE Granite Architectural Complex Royal Estate for the first Inka Emporer place where the Inka emperor and his family could host feasts, perform religious ceremonies, and administer the affairs of empire, while also establishing a claim to land that would be owned by his lineage after his death
City of Machu Picchu a) Observatory Temple of the Sun Calculate June Solstice & important constellations Finely cut masonry, that supports a building w/o use of concrete a building that embodied cosmological thought
City of Machu Picchu b) Intihuatana Stone hitching post of the sun Carved boulder in ritual area Name refers to the idea that it was used to track the passage of the sun throughout the year, part of the reckoning of time used to determine when religious events would take place and similar to the Observatory.
All-T oqupu Tunic 1450-1540 CE Camelid fiber & cotton (alpaca) Color, Pattern, Rhythm, Shape. Slit in center for head, sides sewn for arms, to be worn T oqapu are the square geometric motifs that make up the entirety of this tunic. These designs were only allowed to be worn by those of high rank in Inka society T oquapu are symbolic of indiviuals, places, or events.
Bandolier Bag Lenape tribe c. 1850 Beadwork on leather Pattern, color, shape, texture, form Store ammunition cartridges for soldiers Glass beads, acquired from European traders Mostly worn by men, created by women. Contrasting colors represent the Celestial/Sky and Underworld realms. The designs on the sash may also be read in relation to the cosmos branch into the four cardinal directions and the division of the (earthly) realm into four quadrants.
Transformation Mask Kwakwaka wakw Northeast coast of Canada 19 th c CE pronounced Kwak-wak-ah-wak Worn over head as a part of a complete body costume. Ritual performance Wearer will usually turn back to audience to conceal the opening action and heighten mystery Mask is opened, revealing another face inside.
Painted elk hide Attributed to Cotsiogo (Cadzi Cody) Eastern Shoshone Wind river Reservation, Wyoming 1890-1900 CE Hide Painting natural pigments like red ochre and chalk, and eventually paints and dyes obtained through trade Find Content & Context
Black on Black ceramic vessel Maria Martinez & Julian Martinez Tewa, Puebloan New Mexico 20 th c CE Blackware Ceramic Contrasts shiny/matte black finishes Maria made the pots Julian painted them Revival of mythic figures and designs. Exceptional symmetry, walls are even thickness, surfaces are perfect.