Indigenous Americas

“Few romances can ever surpass that of the granite citadel on top of the beetling precipices of Machu Picchu, the crown of Inca Land.” - Hiram Bingam

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Major Civilizations

Andes Civilizations

• Chavin (900-200 BCE) Coastal Peru
• Inca (1400-1521) Peru (no writing but a kept a record system, khipu)

Mesoamerica

• Mayan (300-900 CE) Belize, Gautemala, Honduras, Yucatan
• Aztecs (1400-1521) Central Mexico

North America

• Anasazi (550-1400 CE) American Southwest
• Mississippian (800-1500 CE) Eastern United States
• NW Coast Native American (18th c- present) Pacific Northwest

History

• Indigenous cultures of North America date back to 10,000 BCE but  most artifacts date only from the last 2,000 years
• Geography plays a huge role in Andean Art. Coastal plains acted individually while in the mountains they united against the elements.
• Old civilizations are used as foundations for new ones. (building upon preexisting sites)
• Artworks were often part of a workshop where many worked on one piece
• Pre-Columbian cultures occupy what is now Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and parts of El Salvador before Christopher Columbus invaded the area
• The Aztec Empire was the dominant power in Mesoamerica before Henan Cortes overthrew them
• Developed huge city-states that prominently featured temple complexes rivaling any on Earth
• Rapid decline of civilizations in the 16th c. due to the introduction of disease by the Europeans
• With the arrival of the Europeans, the native people of North and South America were destroyed and persecuted. Archeology, oral tradition, documents, and museum records are the basis for research. 

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The Sun Stone (The Calendar Stone): The Sun Stone (or The Calendar Stone), Aztec, reign of Moctezuma II (1502-20), discovered in 1790 at the southeastern edge of the Plaza Mayor (Zocalo) in Mexico City, stone (unfinished), 358 cm diameter x 98 cm depth (Museo Nacional de Antropología) Speakers: Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank and Dr. Beth Harris

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Additional Resources

 Sun Stone (Calendar Stone)
Olmec style mask (Heilbrunn Timeline)
Mesa Verde cliff dwellings (National Park website)
Mesa Verde video (Smithsonian)
Great Serpent Mound (Ancient Earthworks site)
Also, watch the video below for the Great Serpent Mound

​Read more on Chavin de Huantar by Standford Universtity
National Geographic: BBC Aztec History
National Geographic: The Maya: Lost Civilization
Machu Picchu by National Geographic
Ghosts of Machu Picchu documentary by Nova
Video describing the City of Cusco
Visit the National Museum of the American Indian: Navajo Paintings
Maria Martinez, 1972 documentary (26 minutes)
Brooklyn Museum: painted elk hides
Danielle Kay's dance presentation

Smart History:
South America before European colonization 
North America before European colonization 

Vocabulary

1. Mesoamerica
2. pre-Columbian
3. effigy mound
4. earthwork
5. ashlar masonry
6. courses
7. comb roof
8. repousse

Artworks List

South America
1. Chavin de Huantar
       - nose ornament
       - Lanzon Stela
      - Relief sculpture
2. Yaxchilan Structure 40
       - Yaxchilan Lintel 25,     
          structure 23
       - Structure 33
3. Templo Mayor
        - The Coyolxauhqui
        - The Calendar Stone
        - Olmec-style mask
6. Ruler's feather headdress (Motecuhzoma II?)
7. City Cusco
         - Qorikancha
         - Walls at Saqsa Waman
8. Maize cobs
9. City of Machu Picchu
         - Observatory
         - Intihuatana Stone
10. All-T'oqapu tunic


North America
11. Mesa Verde cliff dwellings
12. Serpent Mound
13. Transformation mask
14. Bandolier bag
15. Painted elk hide
16. Black on black ceramic vessel

Notecard Images

Acknowledgements: Information and links provided by Valerie M. Park  © 2013  www.mchsapah.com