Art of the Americas before 1300

Hannah, Maddie, Cameron

American Areas

Mesoamerica Extending from

Valley of Mexico to Honduras, Belize, and Western Nicaragua▪ Olmec, Teotihuacan,

Mayas Central America

Mexico

South America Peru ▪ Paracas, Nazca,

Moche North America

Mississippi, Ohio, Illinois, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Florida

Before 1300

Preclassic/Formative Period 1500 BCE- 250 CE

Classic Period 260-900 CE

Postclassic Period 900-1521 CE

700-1500 CE 1000 BCE-200CE 200BCE-600CE Woodland Period

100BCE-550CE

Mesoamerica

Mesoamerica Location: Valley of Mexico to present day

Honduras, Belize, and western Nicaragua Region ranges in terms of climate, but all

developed similarly Complex system of multiple calendars

260 ritual cycle and 365 day agricultural cycle Divided into elite and commoner classes Formative or Preclassic (1500 BCE- 250 CE),

Classic (260-900 CE), and Postclassic (900-1521 CE)

Consists of the Olmecs, Teotihuacan, and the Mayas

Olmecs Formative/Preclassic

period Located in the

swampy coastal area of present-day Veracruz and Tabasco

Faised earth mounds and constructed ceremonial centers

These centers most likely housed the elite

There are many known centers such as La Venta and San Lorenzo

No form of written language

Highly descriptive arts– showing beliefs

In art, has 3 levels sky, earth, underworld

Sculpture and ceramics depict humans while taking the form of animals

Olmecs

Produced a number of monumental basalt sculptures

Including colossal heads, altars, and seated figures

These huge works were transported among the centers

Heads were from 5 to 12 feet and 5-20 tons

Olmecs Colossal Head, La Venta 900-400 BCE 7’5” In Mexico Made of Basalt Closefitting caps, chin

straps, pierced ear Each is different,

possibly suggesting they were of individuals

Colossal Heads from Mesoamerica

Comparison

Roman Patrician: Very realistic, not stylized (unlike the colossal heads)

Archaic Sculpture: stylized with archaic smile and unrealistic hair texture

Teotihuacan

About 30 miles northeast of present day Mexico City

Largest city in the Americas between 350-650 CE population of

200,00o

Teotihuacan

Wealth based on trade Trading of obsidian tools and pottery, traded

for luxury items such as green feathers (headdresses) and fur of the jaguar

City Center was religious and governmental center

Elite lived in large palaces; some having 45 rooms

Artisans, foreign traders, and peasants had much simpler homes: small rectangle surrounding a court

Teotihuacan

Principle monuments are Pyramid of the Sun and Pyramid of the Moon

Pyramid of the Sun is the largest slightly over 200 feet high and 720 feet

at baseArtists worked in fresco technique:

applied pigments on damp plasterPainted in layers and was similar to

sculpture it was flat, angular, and abstract

Let’s Compare!

TEOTIHUACAN

Pyramid of the Sun Not quite as tall as

the Egyptian Pyramids Series of sloping steps

EGYPTIAN

The Great Pyramid of Giza

Similar structure

Teotihuacan

In the heart of the city is a vast sunken plaza surrounded by temples

The plaza could accommodate 60,000 people

Its central point was the Temple of the Feathered Serpent 7 tiered structure Slope and panel construction– which is a feature

of Teotihuacan architecture This pyramid kept getting enlarged, each time

enclosing the previous so like layers of an onion

Teotihuacan

Temple of the Feathered Serpent

The Maya

Preclassic Period, Classic, and Postclassic

Located in tropical rain forest of the Yucatan

Developed hieroglyphic writing and had a sophisticated calendar “Maya Record Keeping”

In favor of low relief carvingsArtists had high status

Mayan

The society was divided into centers– each had ruler, elite class, nobles and priests, and then farmer-commoners

Olmec influence Tikal= largest Maya city North Acropolis :

Containing royal tombs

MayanPalenque

Present day Mexican state of Chiapas rose in the Classic Period

Hieroglyphic writings recorded the the beginning of the royal dynasty 431 CE

Lord Pakal Portrait of Lord Pakal found in his tomb

Central America

Central America

People lived in extended family groups in towns led by chiefs The Diquis culture (700-1500 CE) was a

notable example of one of these groups (present day Costa Rica)

A very war-like people Did not focus on architecture or

sculpture Produced fine featherwork, ceramics,

textiles and gold/jade objects

Central America

Shaman with Drum and Snake (13th-16th century, Gold)

Resides in Costa Rica

Came with the use of gold an copper-gold alloys in artwork (Metallurgy)

Used lost-wax casting technique

Central America

(Continued) Shaman is a small, exquisite pendant-

good example of the style and tecnique of Diquis goldwork

Male figure wearing bracelets, anklets, and a belt with a snake-headed sheath

He plays a drum while holding the tail of a snake in his teeth and its head in his left hand

Wavy forms in elaborate reptile costume, inverted triangles on headdress represent bird tails

Central America

Bird and snake imagery important to culture

Mythology- serpents/crocodiles inhabited lower world, humans and bird a higher one

Maybe shaman is transforming or performin a ritual?

Scrolls on side of head represent hearing or ability to understand animals

Shows a ritual of mediation between earthly and cosmic powers involving music, dance, and costume

Central America

Gold thought to capture the energy and power of the sun (wore to inspire fear)

Energy used to travel into cosmic realms

Compare/Contrast

Greek Earrings (330-300BCE)

Gold Lost-wax process Often placed on ears of

marble statues of goddesses

2 inches tall Drama, swift movement

through space Hellenistic

-Diquis pendant

-Gold

-3.25 inches tall

-Lost- wax casting

-animal imagery

-movement

-Wavy forms

-not as realistic

South America

South America

The Central Andes: (primarily located in Peru and Bolivia)

Development of hierarchical societies with diverse artistic traditions

Area between Andes and Pacific Ocean contains one of the driest deserts in the world

Life depended on Sea and the rivers flowing from Andes

South America

Earliest evidence of monumental building in Peru during 3rd millennium BCE-- stone-walled structures with sunken central fire pits for burning ritual offerings

Chief crops included cotton (fishing nets), and gourds (floats)

Herding and Agriculture became prominent in second millennium BCE

Irrigation systems, ceremonial complexes Spread of pottery and ceramics came with

the shift to irrigation agriculture

Chavin de Huantar: early site of Chavin style

Between 1000 and 200 BCEEra known as the Early Horizon (first

of 3 horizon periods)Political and social forces behind

Chavin style unknown (possibly religious cult)

Period of artistic and technical innovation in ceramics, metallurgy, and textiles

Artifacts found at burial sites (shows importance to the Chavin people of burial and afterlife)

Chavin de Huantar

Site was located on a trade route between coast and Amazon basin

Chavin art features images of tropical forest animals

The Raimondi Stone (pictured) is very complex

Peru, 1000-600 BCE Low relief sclupture carved into

diorite Large headdress (covers entire

rectangular surface), staves in each paw

Frontal, symmetrical, curvilinear design

Snakes in hair, claws/fangs of a jaguar

Extra heads Human, animal, bird, reptile

parts

Paracas

The Paracas culture in southern Peru flourished from about 1000 BCE to 200 CE

Well known for amazing textiles (wrapped around bodies of dead in cemeteries)

Art of textiles was and still is one of the most prized types of artwork in the region

Fine textiles= prestige and wealth Production of textiles was an important factor in

the domestication of plants (cotton) and animals (llamas)

Usually included many images of warriors, dancers, and composite creatures (bird people)

Paracas

Mantle with Bird Impersonators (200 BCE-200 CE) Tiny overlapping stitches Colorful, curvilinear patterns, (some parts have

as many as 21 different colors in a single stitch) Amazing effect of clashing and contrasting colors

and tumbling figures

Nazca

Nazca culture dominated the south coast of Peru (200 BCE-600 CE)

Fine fabrics, multicolored pottery-images reminiscent to those of Paracas textiles

Best known for colossal earthworks (geoglyphs)

Geoglyphs drew into the earth, created gigantic light stoned images (such as a hummingbird- next slide)

Nazca

(100 BCE- 700 CE) Beak is 120 ft long Other animals include a

whale, monkey, spider, and duck

Also made abstract patterns of straight, parallel lines that extend up to 12 miles

Each geoglyph maintained by a clan

Purpose of them is a mystery

Moche

North coast (Piura Valley to Huarmey Valley, 200 BCE- 600 CE)

Lords ruled from a ceremonial-administrative center, largest of these is Moche Valle (possibly capital)

Moche Valley contained the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon

Moche were exceptional potters and metalsmiths Used naturalistically modeled humans, animals, and

architectural structures Recorded mythical narratives and ritual scenes in art,

and on walls/temples One ceramic vessel is of a Moche Lord With a Feline

(100 BCE- 500 CE) Throne-like structure, elaborate headdress, stroking

cat- item of luxury, shows high status, buried with people

Moche

Moche

Central theme in Moche iconography is the sacrifice ceremony (prisoners captured in battle are sacrificed and several elaborately dressed figures drink their blood)

Principal figure= Warrior Priest, other important figures= Bird Priest, Priestess

Possibly an actual Moche ritual by the lords

Evidence seen from tomb at Sipan (occupant dressed like Warrior Priest) and tomb at San Jose de Moro

Moche

Earspool (Sipan, Peru) Depicts 3 Moche warrios Central figure made of

gold and turquoise All 3 have tiny gold

earspools Gold/turquoise

headdresses, crescent shaped knives

Central figure has nose ornament, gold club, and shield

Has necklace of owl’s-head beads

Very detailed

North America

The Woodland Period Spans from approximately 1000 BCE to 1000 CE Consists of prehistoric sites falling between

the Archaic hunting and gathering and the temple-mound-building Mississippian cultures in the eastern United States

The Woodland Period was marked by three distinct traits: the manufacture of clay pottery semi-permanent villages or settlements development of horticulture, plants are now purposefully being

cultivated and harvested for food During this time period, group territories became smaller

and more well-defined The population begins to rise steadily The Hopewell religion is spread throughout the North

American region through the process of trade

Adena Tradition

Spanned from 1000 BCE to 1 CE in the Ohio River Valley area

Because they were situated on the Ohio River, their arts were able to spread to other areas like New York, Pennsylvania, and southern Illinois

Although many cultures after it would have burial mounds, the Adena burial mounds are unique in that they vary greatly in size and take a conical shape

The Adena culture is seen as the precursor to the Hopewell culture by many scholars

Many pieces of art include shamanistic imagery humans transforming into indigenous animals

North American Northeast: The Hopewell Tradition

Originated in the Illinois area Held superiority in the Midwestern and northeastern

sections of the area that would become the United States from 200 BCE to 500 CE

The Hopewell tradition was not one singular culture or society, but an extensive set of related populations

Peoples of the Hopewell tradition practiced egalitarianism due to the abundance of resources

The signature structure of the Hopewell tradition was the burial mound; these burial mounds were more complex than the ones built previously by the Adena culture burial complexes could be as large as 100 acres

The Hopewell tradition also hastened the progress of pottery by introducing a larger variety which were fired to make them more durable

Due to increased trade, luxury goods like mica and pearls became commonplace in Hopewell art

The Process of Pottery Making Step 1 – Clay was gathered from eroding

riverbanks and mixed with a tempering agent such as sand or crushed shells

Step 2 – The clay is rolled into long cylinders and then shaped into coils, these coils are then smoothed out by moistening the clay with water and running a stone along the outside of the pot that is being formed

Step 3 – The pottery is then decorated and the surface treatment is applied to the exterior of the pottery and it is set to dry in the sun

Step 4 – The pottery was then baked in an extremely hot fire to make the pottery more durable

Beaver Effigy Platform Pipe Found in the

Bedford Mound, Pike County, Illinois

Hopewell culture c. 100-200 CE Utilizes pipestone,

river pearls, and bone

Combined realism with stylized simplification of the animal’s form

The Mississippian Period

This period originated in the Mississippi Valley and occurred approximately from 900 CE to 1700 CE

This era is typified by the construction of large, flat mounds that support a particular structure unlike the burial mounds of the Woodland Period

During this time, the indigenous people were developing a way to make pottery even more durable through the process of shell tempering which prevented the pottery from shrinking and cracking during the drying and firing process

Agricultural advancements led to increased dependence on maize crops while the population growth required a system of government to rule the people via a chiefdom

Mississippians lived in structures built of timber, mud, and thatch, however, the structures were created in a rectangular shape unlike the circular form of the Woodland Period houses

Cahokia Ancient Native American

city located next to the Mississippi River near Collinsville, Illinois

Built and inhabited between 700 CE – 1400 CE

Covered a sprawling area of the countryside at its height (1100 CE – 1200 CE) six square miles with a booming population anywhere from 20,000 to 100,000

The city was supplied by agriculture in the surrounding area one of the most fertile regions in North America

the population began to decline in 1200 CE and the site was abandoned by 1400 CE

late 1600s, the Cahokia Indians settled in the area which is where the village derived its name

Construction of Cahokia Comprised of 120 earthen

mounds within the compound  68 of which are preserved

within the site Mounds made entirely of dirt

workers moved over 50 million cubic feet of soil leaving behind ditches called borrow pits

Built using large baskets estimated between 50 and 60 pounds

Intentionally selected different soils for the mound to give it internal stability and drainage

Two Types of Mounds: Platform mound – typically

supported structures used for political or religious ceremonies

Conical/Ridge mound – used as burial tombs

Mathematical, astronomical, and engineering skills were required to construct the city

Structures Within Cahokia Monk’s Mound:

The largest earthwork in North America

1,000 feet in length, 800 feet in width, and 100 feet tall

Construction started in 950 CE Surrounded by a stockade two miles

in length with guard towers placed at specific intervals

Acted as both a physical and psychological barricade between the ruling class and common people

Woodhenge: Built around 1000 CE, these wood

posts served as a calendar (mark the equinoxes and summer and winter solstices, observed from the center post)

The original circle was 410 feet in diameter and was composed of 48 cedar posts

During excavations, red ochre was found which indicates the poles were painted red

North American Southeast: The Florida Glades Culture

Many distinct regional cultures within the Glades area

Defined by its pottery and earthworks because the region contains very poor soil with low elevation and wetlands making it very difficult area to inhabit

Built habitation mounds to serve as a dry place to settle

The people of the Glades culture survived mainly on hunting and gathering since there was very little arable land

Pelican Figurehead

Created by the Florida Glades culture

1000 CE Wood and paint (11.2 x 6 x 8cm) Outstretched wings

found nearby in excavation

Might have been attached to ceremonial posts suggest clan symbols

The style is simplified and naturalistic

The North American Southwest: The Pueblo Culture

Mostly had influences within the four corners region (Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico)

Because agriculture was usually out of the question in such a deserted climate, the pueblo people would live together and build apartment-like and storied buildings creating massive communities

Some buildings were constructed to serve as communal food storage, others for religious purposes

Other cultures in the area adapted and built deep and narrow irrigation systems to accommodate the water shortage

Anthropomorphs Found in the Great

Gallery in Horseshoe Canyon, Utah

Figures are variously dated Archaeologists have

dated some to be as early as 1900 BCE and others as late as 300 CE

Largest figure 8 feet tall

Consists of pictographs (painted onto the surface of the rock) and petroglyphs (pecked into the rock)

Subject matter unknown, but most likely depicted rain gods

The human form is very stylized and stiff indicative of a divine subject matter

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