Pre-Columbian art
Many types of perishable artifacts that were once very common, such as woven textiles, typically have not been preserved, but Precolumbian monumental sculpture, metalwork in gold, pottery, and painting on ceramics, walls, and rocks have survived more frequently.The Olmecs produced jade figurines, and created heavy-featured, colossal heads, up to 2 meters (6.6 ft) high, that still stand mysteriously in the landscape.Unlocking this hieroglyphic text is vital as it removes anonymity and mystery from the scenes and reveals detailed records of those who held power throughout the timeline of the civilization.Mayan art consequently focuses on rain, agriculture, and fertility, expressing these images mainly in relief and surface decoration, as well as some sculpture.The Post-classic period (10th–12th centuries) was dominated by the Toltecs who made colossal, block-like sculptures such as those employed as free-standing columns at Tula, Mexico.The Mixtecs developed a style of painting known as Mixtec-Puebla, as seen in their murals and codices (manuscripts), in which all available space is covered by flat figures in geometric designs.The Aztec culture in Mexico produced some dramatically expressive artworks, such as the decorated skulls of captives and stone sculpture, of which Tlazolteotl (Woods Bliss Collection, Washington), a goddess in childbirth, is a good example.The Chavín produced small-scale pottery, often human in shape but with animal features such as bird feet, reptilian eyes, or feline fangs.The Chavin culture is also noted for the spectacular murals and carvings found its main religious site of Chavín de Huantar; these works include the Raimondi Stele, the Lanzón, and the Tello Obelisk.Tiwanaku's empire began to expand out of Titicaca around 400 BCE, but its "Classic Period" of artistic production and political power occurred between 375 and 700 CE.Especially famous is the Gate of the Sun, which depicts a large image of the Staff God flanked by other religious symbols which may have functioned as a calendar.
Sun StoneNational Anthropology MuseumMexico Cityvisual arts of indigenous peoplesCaribbeanCentralSouth Americaspre-Columbianmonumental sculptureMaya artOlmec artOlmec headSan Lorenzopre-Columbian culturescosmologiesworld viewsmnemonicobsidianspondylusMesoamerican chronologycolossal headshieroglyphic writingastronomyGlyphsChichén ItzáToltecsMexicoMixtecseagle warriorsTeotihuacanK'inich Janaab' PakalCopánYaxchilanBonampakDresden CodexZapotecMonte AlbánSerpent labret with articulated tongueMetropolitan Museum of ArtCodex BorgiaMictlāntēcutliQuetzalcoatlMoctezuma IIParacas cultureMuisca raftPeruvianChavín civilizationChavín de HuantarRaimondi SteleLanzónNazca Linesdelightful portrait vasesLord of SipánHuaca de la LunaHuaca del SolStaff GodLake TiticacaTiwanakuGate of the SunChimúChimorChan ChanTrujillo, PeruUNESCOWorld Heritage SiteInca EmpireSpanish conquestQuechuaMachu PicchuCueva de las ManosArgentinaRecuay cultureAmazonic culturesLatin American artMuisca artVisual arts by indigenous peoples of the AmericasPainting in the Americas before European colonizationList of Stone Age artUNESCO PublishingCambridge University PressSmarthistoryKhan AcademyBernal, IgnacioCoe, Michael D.Pre-Columbian civilizations and culturesPaleo-IndiansGenetic historyArchaeologyCulturesIndigenous peoplesClassificationNorth AmericaArchaeological periodsAncestral PuebloansAnishinaabeCaddoan MississippianChichimecaColes CreekDorsetFremontGladesHohokamHopewell traditionMarksvilleMississippianMogollonOsharaPatayanPicosaPlaqueminePlum BayouPoverty PointSierra de GuadalupeSinaguaSt. JohnsTroyvilleWeeden IslandMesoamericaAcolhuaAltepetlAzcapotzalcoCalixtlahuacaCapachaChalcatzingoCholulaChupícuaro