The document provides an overview of the artistic traditions of indigenous civilizations in the Americas from prehistoric times up until European contact in the 15th and 16th centuries. It describes major cultures such as the Olmec, Maya, Teotihuacan, Moche, Nasca, Chavin, Tiwanaku, Inca, Mississippian, Anasazi, Northwest Coast Native, and Great Plains tribes. The art forms discussed include monumental architecture, sculpture, ceramics, textiles, body adornment, earthworks, rock art, masks, totem poles, and more. The document emphasizes how art reflected religious and political themes and was closely tied to the environment and available materials in different

1. Gardner’s Art Through the Ages,
12e
Chapter 14
From Alaska to the Andes:
Native Arts of the Americas
Before 1300
Chapter 30
Before and After the Conquistadors:
Native Arts of the Americas after 1300
1

2. The Americas
2

3. Time Period: 35000 BCE - modern
Civilization Dates Location
Olmec 1200-400 BCE Mexico, Gulf of Mexico
Moche 200 BCE – 600 CE Coastal Peru
Teotihuacán 100 BCE – 750 CE Mexico City area
Mayan 300-900+ CE Belize, Guatemala,
Honduras, Yucatan
Anasazi 550-1400 CE American SW
Mississipian 900-1500 CE Eastern US
Aztec 1400-1521 CE Central Mexico, Mexico City
Incan 1438-1532 CE Peru
NW Coast Native 1700s - present Pacific NW
American
3

4. Key Ideas
• Ancient American civilizations developed huge city-states
that prominently featured temple complexes rivaling any
on earth.
• Sculptures vary from the monumental used as
centerpieces in great plazas to intimate works of jewelry
for private adornment.
• Local materials play a large role in the creation of works
of art: wood for NW Coast Indians, adobe for SW
Indians, stone in Mesoamerica, etc.
• Old civilizations form foundations for new ones; that is,
pyramids often encase small structures the way cultures
build upon pre-existing sites.
4

5. Mesoamerica
5

6. Olmec
Figure 14-1 Colossal head,
Olmec, La Venta, Mexico,
900–400 BCE. Basalt, 9’4”
high. Museo-Parque La
Venta, Villahermosa.
6

7. Figure 14-2 Ceremonial ax in the form of a jaguar-
human, Olmec, from La Venta, Mexico, 900–400
BCE. Jadeite, 11 1/2” high. British Museum,
London.
7

8. Figure 14-3 Seated figure with
raised arms, from Colima,
Mexico, ca. 200 BCE–250 CE.
Clay with orange and red slip, 1’
1” high. Los Angeles County
Museum of Art, Los Angeles.
8

9. Teotihuacán
Figure 14-4 Aerial view of Teotihuacán (from the north), Valley of Mexico, Mexico. Pyramid of the Moon (foreground),
Pyramid of the Sun (top left), and the Citadel (background), all connected by the Avenue of the Dead; main structures ca.
50–200 CE; site ca. 100 BCE–750 CE.
9

10. Figure 14-5 Detail of Temple of Quetzalcóatl, the Citadel, Teotihuacán, Valley of Mexico, Mexico, third century CE.
10

11. The Classic Culture:
Ball Courts and Temples
• Examine the Maya urban and religious architectural
complexes.
• Understand the nature of the Ball Court architecture and its
spread throughout the Americas.
11

12. Mayan
Figure 14-7 Stele D portraying the ruler 18-Rabbit,
Maya, Great Plaza at Copán, Honduras, 736 CE. Stone,
11’ 9” high.
12

13. Figure 14-8 Ballcourt (view looking north), Middle Plaza, Copán, Maya, Copán Valley, Honduras, 738 CE.
13

14. Figure 14-9 Temple I (Temple of the Giant Jaguar), Maya, Tikal, Petén, Guatemala, ca. 732 CE.
14

15. Sculpture of the Classic Period
• Examine the sculpture – particularly the human form – in
small scale, relief, and in a variety of media.
• Understand the purpose and function of Classic period
sculpture.
15

16. Figure 14-10 Ballplayer, Maya, from Jaina
Island, Mexico, 700–900 CE. Painted clay, 6
1/4” high. National Museum of Anthropology,
Mexico City.
16

17. Maya Mural and Vase Painting
• Examine the style and materials of Maya wall painting at
Bonampak.
• Examine the narrative style of Maya vase painting.
17

18. Figure 14-11 Presentation of captives to Lord Chan Muwan, Maya, Room 2, Structure 1, Bonampak, Mexico, ca. 790 CE.
Mural, approx. 17’ X 15’; watercolor copy by Antonio Tejeda. Peabody Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge.
18

19. Figure 14-12 Shield Jaguar and Lady Xoc, Maya,
Lintel 24, Temple 23, Yaxchilán, Mexico, ca. 725
CE. Limestone, 3’ 7” X 2’ 6 1/2”. British Museum,
London.
19

20. Figure 14-13 Enthroned Maya lord and courtiers, cylinder vase (rollout view), Maya, from Motul de San José region,
Guatemala, 672–830 CE. Ceramic with red, rose, orange, white, and black on cream slip, approx. 8” high. Dumbarton
Oaks Research Library and Collections, Washington, D.C.
20

21. Figure 14-14 The Caracol (foreground) and the Castillo (background), Maya, Chichén Itzá, Yucatán, Mexico, ca. 800–900
CE.
21

22. © 2005 Saskia Cultural Documentation, Ltd.
Figure 14-14 The Castillo
Overall view
22

23. © 2005 Saskia Cultural Documentation, Ltd.
Figure 14-14 Detail
Close-up view of dome construction
23

24. Toltec and Maya-Toltec Art
• Examine the decline of the Classic Maya civilization and the
rise of the Toltecs.
• Understand the changes in art and architecture in the Post
Classic period.
24

25. Figure 14-15 Colossal atlantids, Pyramid B, Toltec, Tula, Hidalgo, Mexico, ca. 900–1180 CE. Stone, 16’ high.
25

26. The Aztec Capital of Tenochtitlan
• Examine the building of the city of Tenochtitlan and the
Mesoamerican concept of superimposition.
26

27. Figure 30-1 Mictlantecuhtli and Quetzalcóatl, illuminated page from the Borgia Codex, from Puebla/Tlaxcala (?), Mexico,
ca. 1400–1500. Mineral and vegetable pigments on deerskin, approx. 10 5/8” X 10 3/8”. Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana,
Rome. 27

28. Aztec Sculpture
• Examine the Aztec mythological themes, their political
message, and the resulting sculptural forms.
• Describe some of the formal characteristics of Mesoamerican
sculpture seen in the work of the Aztecs.
28

29. Figure 30-3 Coyolxauhqui (She of the Golden Bells), Aztec, from the Great Temple of Tenochtitlán, Mexico City, ca.
1469. Stone, diameter approx. 10’ 10”. Museo del Templo Mayor, Mexico City.
29

30. Figure 30-4 Coatlicue (She of
the Serpent Skirt), Aztec, from
Tenochtitlán, Mexico City, ca.
1487–1520. Andesite, 11’ 6”
high. Museo Nacional de
Antropología, Mexico City.
30

31. Andean Region of
South America
31

32. 14.4 South American Early Cultures
• Identify the various pre-Inka cultures in South America, their
chronology and characteristic art and architecture forms.
• Examine the particular linear quality of Nazca pottery and
earth drawings.
• Examine the art materials and methods used such as in
weaving, pottery and metal work.
32

33. Figure 14-16 Pendant in the form of a bat-faced man, Tairona, from northeastern Colombia, after 1000. Gold, 5 1/4”
high. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Jan Mitchell and Sons Collection).
33

34. Figure 14-17 Reconstructed drawing of sacred center showing temple and associated sunken courtyards, Chavín de
Huántar, Peru, first millennium BCE.
34

35. Figure 14-18 Raimondi Stele, Chavín, from main temple, Chavín de Huántar,
Peru, first millennium BCE. Incised green diorite, 6’ high. Instituto Nacional de
Cultura, Lima, Peru.
35

36. The Paracas and Nazca Cultures
• Examine the purpose and style of weaving of the Paracas
cultures.
• Examine the particular linear quality of Nazca pottery and
earth drawings.
36

37. Figure 14-19 Embroidered funerary mantle, Paracas, from southern coast of Peru, first century CE. Plain weave camelid
fiber with stem-stitch embroidery embroidered with camelid wool, 4’ 7 7/8” X 7’ 10 7/8”. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
(William A. Paine Fund).
37

38. Figure 14-20 Bridge-
spouted vessel with flying
figures, Nasca, from Nasca
River valley, Peru, ca. 50–
200 CE. Painted ceramic,
approx. 5 1/2” high. Art
Institute of Chicago, Chicago
(Kate S. Buckingham
Endowment).
38

39. Figure 14-21 Hummingbird, Nasca Plain, Nasca, Peru, ca. 500 CE. Dark layer of pebbles scraped aside to reveal lighter
clay and calcite beneath; 27’ wide, 200’ wingspan, and 459’ length.
39

40. Moche
Figure 14-22 Vessel in the shape of a portrait head,
Moche, from north coast Peru, fifth to sixth century CE.
Painted clay, 12 1/2” high. Museu Arqueológico Rafael
Larco Herrera, Lima.
40

41. Figure 14-23 Ear
ornament, from a tomb
at Sipán, Moche, Peru,
ca. 300 CE. Gold and
turquoise, approx. 4
4/5”. Bruning
Archeological Museum,
Lambayeque.
41

42. Figure 14-24 Gateway of the Sun, Tiwanaku, Bolivia, ca. 375–700 CE. Stone, 9’ 10” high.
42

43. Figure 14-25 Lima Tapestry
(tunic), Wari, from Peru, ca.
500–800 CE. 3’ 3 3/8” x 2’ 11
3/8”. National Museum of
Archeology, Anthropology,
and History of Peru, Lima.
43

44. The Wonder of Machu Picchu
• Examine the architecture of the Inka, their distinctive ashlar
masonry, and their unique city of Machu Picchu.
44

45. Incan
Figure 30-5 Machu Picchu (view from adjacent peak), Inka, Peru, 15th century.
45

46. Figure 30-6 Wall of the Golden Enclosure (surmounted by the church of Santo Domingo), Inka, Cuzco, Peru, 15th
century.
46

47. North America
47

48. Native North American Art
• Examine the artistic objects and themes of the Adena and
Mississippian cultures.
48

49. Figure 14-26 Burial mask, Ipiutak,
from Point Hope, Alaska, ca. 100 CE.
Ivory, greatest width 9 1/2”.
American Museum of Natural
History, New York.
49

50. Figure 14-27 Pipe, Adena, from a mound in Ohio, ca. 500–1 BCE.
Stone, 8” high. Ohio Historical Society, Columbus.
50

51. Mississippian
Figure 14-28 Serpent Mound, Mississippian, Ohio, ca. 1070 CE. 1200’ long, 20’ wide, 5’ high. 51

52. Figure 14-29 Incised shell
gorget, Mississippian, from
Sumner County, Tennessee,
ca. 1250–1300 CE. 4” wide.
Museum of the American
Indian, New York.
52

53. Figure 14-30 Bowl with
two cranes and geometric
forms, Mimbres, from
New Mexico, ca. 1250
CE. Ceramic, black-on-
white, diameter approx.
1’ 1/2”. Art Institute of
Chicago, Chicago (Hugh
L. and Mary T. Adams
Fund).
53

54. Anasazi
Figure 14-31 Cliff Palace, Anasazi, Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, ca. 1150–1300 CE.
54

55. © 2005 Saskia Cultural Documentation, Ltd.
Figure 14-31 Alternate View
Closer view of palace complex
55

56. Figure 30-7 Detail of a kiva painting from Kuaua Pueblo (Coronado State Monument), Anasazi, New Mexico, late 15th
to early 16th century. MIAC/LOA Museum of New Mexico, Santa Fe.
56

57. Puebloan Pottery
• Examine the unusual processes, forms, and painted designs
of the pottery of the Puebloan cultures and their revival.
57

58. Figure 30-9 MARÍA MONTOYA MARTÍNEZ, jar, San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico, ca. 1939. Blackware, 11 1/8” x
1’ 1”. National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C. (gift of Wallace and Wilhelmina Hollachy).
58

59. Native North American Arts
• Examine the art forms of the Northwest and Alaskan native
cultures, and of the tribal cultures of the Great Plains.
59

60. Figure 30-10 Eagle transformation mask,
closed and open views, Kwakiutl, Alert Bay, late
19th century. Wood, feathers, and string, approx.
1’ 10” x 11”. American Museum of Natural
History, New York.
60

61. Figure 30-11 War helmet, Tlingit, collected 1888–1893. Wood, 1’ high. American Museum of Natural History, New York.
61

62. Figure 30-12 BILL REID (Haida), assisted by DOUG KRANMER (Kwakiutl), reconstruction of a 19th century Haida
village with totem poles, Queen Charlotte Island, 1962. Museum of Anthropology, University of British Columbia,
Vancouver.
62

63. Figure 30-13 Chilkat blanket with stylized animal motifs, Tlingit, early 20th century. Mountain goat’s wool and cedar
bark, 6’ x 2’ 11”. Southwest Museum, Los Angeles.
63

64. Figure 30-14 Mask, Yupik Eskimo, Alaska, early 20th
century. Wood and feathers, approx. 3’ 9” high.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
64

65. Figure 30-15 KARL BODMER, Hidatsa
Warrior Pehriska-Ruhpa (Two Ravens), 1833.
Watercolor, 1’ 3 7/8” x 11 1/2”. Joslyn Art
Museum, Omaha (gift of the Enron Art
Foundation).
65

66. Discussion Questions
 What stylistic qualities do you see as a common thread in
Mesoamerican art?
 How is the architecture of the Mesoamerican pyramid-plaza
complexes similar?
 What was the function of fine textiles and pottery in the Andean
cultures?
 What do you speculate are the purposes of the South American
Nasca drawings and the Serpent Mounds of North America? Could
they share a common and general ideology?
 Many people collect Native American art today. To what factors do
you attribute this popularity?
 Why did the Spanish destroy so much of the native arts of the
Americas?
 Can you describe the building techniques of the Inka?
 What does the Kachina doll represent and how was it used by the
traditional Hopi and Navajo cultures?
 Why did the Puebloan pottery become popular in the 20th century?
66