Outline

Indigenous Americas
2018-2019
revised June 25, 2018
Enduring Understanding
5-1. Diverse and ancient origins across wide geographic expanse; Roots line
in northern Asia
5-2. Similar art subjects, themes, materials – calendars, large structures,
sacred mountains and celestial phenomena, jade, feathers, metals, fabric
5-3. Cultural norms of Central Andes: shamanism, reverence for plant and
animal worlds; challenging environments (high altitude, desert coast,
rain forest)
5-4. key differences from/between Ancient Americas due, in part, to
colonization and persecution
5-5. Enduring art and influence of culture of Native North Americans
despite disease and suppression by other culture

Essential Knowledge
5-1a. Art of Ancient America (before 1550 and south of current US and
Mexico border) and Native North America (areas north of US and
Mexico border from ancient times to present) comparison. Three
regions: Mesoamerican – Mexico City south
Central American -
Andean – Ecuador, Peru, W Bolivia, N Chili
5-1b. Art linked to natural world, 5 direction cosmic geometry (North,
South, East, West, Center) spirituality, shamanism, animal-based media
art as functional and participatory vs. for viewing only
5-2a. Mesoamerican cultures – Olmec - Gulf Coast
Maya – Yucatan Peninsula
Aztec (Mexica) – Central Mexico
5-2b. Mesoamerican art generally figural with focus on glorifying specific
rulers
5-2c. Mesoamerican cultures external influences varied
5-3. variation of environments led to complex interaction of trade, materials,
cultural connections
5-5. topics include: earthenware, functionality, art as possessing life force,
change as continuous
 Geographic/Cultural Context

➔Origins are in dispute- no later than 30,000-10,000 BCE people crossed landmass at
the Bearing Sea.
➔Hunter gatherers at first slowly developed complex agricultural techniques and
excelled at mathematics and engineering for building and civic planning, writing systems
(Maya)
Developed agriculture, astronomy, writing system, calendar, metallurgy, metal weapons
Had hierarchical societies
➔Worship of multiple gods-usually connected to nature-sun, moon, serpent, jaguar
• Jaguar=large, strong, predator, repeated survival ability; revered as sacred, swims,
figure of authority
➔Emergence of temple pyramid
➔Viewed gods as providers of life who gave their blood to us thus people need to
sacrifice in order to repay/replenish the gods=practice of bloodletting
Wars tended to be fought to acquire land
➔European arrival 15th century
In the 16th century these civilizations collapsed under the Spanish (1521 conquest of
Aztec empire completed) and their desire to end pagan worship, conquest

Mesoamerica is present-day Central America – Honduras, Guatemala, Belize and Costa

Rica north to northern Mexico. An area with a wide variety of land, climate, and
languages

Art Context

Means of expression
• Use of Votive objects-artifacts offered to deity as a gift of some kind in order to
thank or appease them or enhance the success of prayer
• Large scale monuments, city centers with pyramid with temple at top
• Figures-human and animal
• Murals
• Stone statues, reliefs
• metalwork

Art
Numerous artistic skills, carving stone, painted murals, weaving, pottery

3 main time periods (w. overlap)

• Pre-Classic (ca 2000 BCE-300 CE)-primary culture-Olmec
• Classic (300-900 CE)- primary culture-Maya
• Terminal Classic & Early Post Classic (ca 800-1250CE)- primary culture-Toltec
 • Post Classic (900-1521 CE)- primary culture-Aztec

4 main cultures
1) Olmec – culture considered “mother culture” of Mesoamerica. Numerous religious,
social, artistic traditions can be trace to this
-known for stone carvings, especially jade
-hereditary caste of rulers and priests
-jaguar-worship
pyramids served primarily as temple platforms
-located on Pacific coast
-emerged during the Pre-Classic period
-has 3D, curvilinear style

2) Maya – overall high achievers i.e. plentiful crop growth in tropical rain climate,
architecture, advanced hieroglyphic writing, complex record keeping, astronomy,
plant studies, math concepts of zero and place value, calendar
-located on Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico; Guatemala
-built temples and carved stone relief
-large palaces, plazas, ball courts

3) Toltec – builders and organizers; subdued the Maya

-located on central plateau of Mexico

Pre-Classic
(300-900 CE)
Classic-Maya
(300-900 CE)

Movement away from egalitarian village life to hierarchical autocratic

society
Led to city-state governed by hereditary rulers and ranked nobility
Multiple and large building projects indicated the change
Religion and kingship were dominated institutions and imagery – led to
1,000 years of conservative culture by 900 Maya civilization had
vanished
High degree of mathematical skills and cosmic understanding;
developed calendar system

Architecture and Ritual

 Held elaborate, dramatic rituals, painting and sculpture used, symbols
and images used

Terminal Classic & Post Classic-Maya

(ca 800-1250 CE)

Great states of classic period (Maya, Teotihuacan, Zapotus) dissolved

into smaller political groups isolated as fortified sites
Time of warlike regimes and chronic aggression

South America

North America

Geographic/Cultural Context

Geographic & Cultural Context

Arrival of Europeans (Spanish-Columbus, 1492) seeking gold, other minerals (silver),
overthrow of Aztecs, missionaries converting natives to Christianity, spreading of disease
that devastated native American health and population

Some writing, in form of hieroglyphic columns, survived

Aztec
After Toltec empire fell chaos ensued
Numerous warring invaders into valley of Mexico (modern day Mexico City);
power changed hands frequently
Aztec were one of these groups and eventually took power-quickly in the end
They began to call themselves Mexica and, following a legendary prophecy they
built a city where it was said an eagle would be perched on a cactus with a serpent
in its mouth. This sighting supposedly took place on an island in lake Texcoco. This
became the city of Tenochtitlan
Aztec fierce in war and peace
had three classes: elite rulers and nobles, middle class of merchants and artisans,
lower class of farmers and laborers
religion based on numerous gods
-located on central plateau of modern day Mexico

Extensive practice of human sacrifice to Huitzilopochtli - the hummingbird god of

war and a sun god; and other deities
Bloodletting and sacrificing were done to please the gods and sustain the cycle of
the universe
 Much of Aztec art destroyed or appropriated by the Spanish
Also, plundered by invading groups
Destroyed in natural disasters
• Disease, 1521, smallpox

Aztec Religion
World seen as a flat disc resting on the back of a large earth deity
Tenochtitlan, its capital, was at the center of disc and seen as a mountain
Served as axis passing up to the heavens and down through underworld
Rituals common and sacrifice common
Gods were adapted by Aztecs from other peoples

Art Context

Aztec Art
Architectural skill, urban planning
Sculptural skill
To express religious/ mortuary themes - in order to have life there must also
be death
Large Blocks
Rigid, imposing
Relief carving