19 Art of Mexico - St. Mary's High SchoolSouth America the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492. The Olmec were the first great ... had conquered a great deal of Mexico from the

Art Of Mexico &Central & South America

Olmec Mask, Tabasco,Mexico. 800-400 B.C. Jadeite

This mask may have once gracedthe tomb of an Olmec ruler.

PRE-COLUMBIAN - Refers tovarious cultures and civilizationsfound throughout North andSouth America the arrivalof Christopher Columbus in 1492.

The Olmec were the first greatcivilization in Mexico (1200 B.C. to500 A.D.approx.) The geographicalarea was the great coastal plain ofthe Gulf of Mexico.

before

The Olmec

Most surprising works include giant volcanic headssculptures. They are thought to represent the severed heads oflosers in a game called pelota. (Court-type sport involving a ball)

Monumental Sculpture:

Olmec. Colossal Head, 1200 B.C. To 500 A.D.,Basalt, Volcanic Rock (40 Tones) Mexico.

1. What does the term Pre-Columbian refer to? (1)

2. Make a sketch of the Colossal Head sculpted bythe Olmec from 1200 B.C. - 500 A.D. and explainhow heavy it was? (2)

3. What kind of mood/feeling do you get from hisfacial expression and why? (2)

4. Make a sketch of the Olmec Maskfrom 800-400 B.C. and explain whatkind of mood/feeling do you get fromthis work and why? (3)

Name:___________________/13

The MayaThey controlled vast lands that includedwhat are now theand They never advancedtechnically beyond butpossessed highly developed skills in otherareas.

They built their first cities by 320 A.D.and their civilization declined, revived anddeclined wit the arrival of

in 1519. The Spanish conquestcompleted the downfall of the culture.

Yucatan, GuatemalaHonduras.

Stone Age

HernandoCortes

Maya

3 Major Accomplishments:

Mayan Culture - tied to ReligiousBeliefs

Mayan Cities: Architecture

1) Great Builders - huge plazas2) Devised an elaborate system of mathematics3) Invented the most precise calender in history

They believed that the gods created human beingsthrough self sacrifice and the first people were formedby mixing maize (corn) with water and then brought tolife by the gods. To repay this debt, human beings wererequired to continuously return blood to the gods. Thiswas needed to make certain the gods would maintaintheir strength and nourishment. As a result mostsacrificial rituals were characterized by efforts to secureblood for the gods. Captives taken in war weresacrificed in public ceremonies as well as Mayan rulerstypically drew their own blood.

Mayan cities were constructed with vast central plazasto accommodate the masses of people who gathered towitness these blood ceremonies.

HernandoCortes

Temple of the Great Jaguar at Tikal,Guatemala - Towering pyramid builtover the tomb of King Hasaw ChanK’awil.

5. List three great accomplishmentsof the Mayans. (3)

1.

2.

3.

6. In what way was the Mayan cultureinfluenced by their religious beliefs andwhat was the importance of ritualisticsacrifices? (2)

MayanSculptureRich reliefs

royal priestess dressedi

coveredbuildings and temples thatwere placed around plazas.This work shows a

n rich costume andwearing an elaborateplumed headdress.

Female Dignitary. Relief Carving,Chiapasos Tabasco Mexico.650-750 A.D. Limestone.

AztecsWhen Cortes arrived in the New World in 1519 a people called the

had conquered a great deal of Mexico from the Atlantic tothe Pacific Ocean and as far south as Guatemala by 1521.Aztecs

They builta huge city called (present day Mexico City) that wasbuilt on an island in the lake.

Aztec’s were warlike people driven to continuoscombat by religious beliefs. They believed humansacrifice was necessary to keep the universerunning smoothly and they thought the godsdemanded human hearts. The priests at the greattemple at were said to havesacrificed over 20 thousand people.

Tenochtitlan

Tenochtitlan

Aztec Culture - tied to Religious Beliefs

Aztec SculptureArt was closely linked to the bloodn sacrificialrituals. Statues to the gods were carved ontemples atop pyramids. This sculpture depictsa man perhaps a priest or celebrant dressedin the skins of flayed victims who have beensacrificed.

A

Aztec PaintingThey had a system of picture writing done onsheets of parchments that were joinedtogether like a book. These kinds of paintedbooks, later called a knownas from which personaldestinies were predicted - painting illustratesAztec deities (war god and nightwinds) and (life god)

is shown as a featheredserpent who was a nature deity transformedinto a national god

codex. CodeThe Book Of Days

TezcalipocaQuetzalcoatl

Quetzalcoatl

x

Xipe Impersonator,1450-1521.

Volcanic stone.

Codex Borbonicus. Painting ofTezcalipoca and Quetzalcoatl. Early 1500s.

1. What did the Aztec believe was requiredof them to keep their universe runningsmoothly? (1)

2. Approximately how many people weresacrificed at the great temple ofTenochititlan? (1)

3. Make a sketch of the Xipe Impersonatorvolcanic rock sculpture and explainwhat he is wearing. (2)

4. Look at the Aztec Codex Borbonicusfrom the early 1500s, what element/principle of design how does the artistuse to emphasis the two figures in theforeground? (1)

NAME:_________________________/9

The Incas:Art of PeruThey are best known of allancient peoples whoinhabited Betweenthe 13 and 15 centuries

power grew untiltheir empire stretchedfrom into central (morethen 3000 miles).

Peru.

Inca

Quito EquadorChile

th th

Inca Road SystemThe Inca Atahualpa and his warriorsat Spanish conquerors arrive.

Inca ArchitectureThe Incas

Incawere skilled in the art of forming and fitting

stone, builders erected buildings that havesurvived to the present day. The durability of thesestructures is due to the precision with which eachblock of stone was fit into place.

Machu Picchu Inca

Peru

was an city built to protectthe people from hostile tribes living to the east.The city is dramatically perched on a ridgebetween two ruggedmountain peaks 8000 feetabove sea level. Thesebuildings also constructedfrom huge stone blocks thatwere cut and locked into placewith such skill that they havewithstood earthquakes forcenturies.

By the time the Spaniardsunder Francisco Pizarroreached in 1532, theInca Empire had beenweakened by civil war andthey fell easily to Pizarro.

Inca stone fitting.

EngineeringAccomplishmentsSkillful engineers joined allparts of their empiretogether with a networkof road and bridges. Theyestablished an efficientsystem of relay runnerswho moved thesemessages to every cornerof the empire. Running inshort spurts at breakneckspeed, a series of courierscould cover 250 miles(250km) a day - faster thanthe speed of messengerson horseback gallopingover the famous roadsof Rome.

5. What is Machu Picchu? (1)

6. Where and why wasMachu Picchuconstructed? (2)

7. How were the Incaable to courier amessage over 250miles in one day? (1)