Unit 5: Indigenous Americas, 1000 BCE–1980 CE

Indigenous (in AP Unit 5 context)

Refers to peoples who are the original inhabitants of a region whose cultures developed there prior to colonization.

Form + Materials + Setting + Use

AP Art History framework for explaining meaning by linking what a work looks like, what it’s made of, where it is, and what it does.

Sacred geography

The idea that location and landscape (mountains, cliffs, earthworks, routes) are part of a work’s meaning and function, not just a backdrop.

Ancestor veneration

Beliefs and practices that honor ancestors, often using monuments or rituals to connect living communities to lineage and the dead.

Controlled access (in sacred architecture)

Design strategy using restricted entrances, narrow passages, and separated zones to create hierarchy and concentrate religious/political authority.

Effigy mound

An earthwork shaped like a recognizable figure (often an animal), functioning as monumental, place-based architecture.

Kiva

A circular (often semi-subterranean) ceremonial room used by Ancestral Puebloan peoples.

Relief sculpture

Carving that projects from a background surface (or is carved into it), commonly used in architectural elements like lintels.

Ashlar masonry

Precisely cut stone blocks fitted tightly, often without mortar; an Inka hallmark that also helps buildings resist earthquakes.

Basalt

A dense volcanic stone commonly used for Mexica monumental sculpture (e.g., the Aztec Calendar Stone).

Mosaic

A technique that assembles designs from many small pieces of stone or other materials.

Inlay

A technique that sets small pieces of one material into another to create patterns or images.

Chinampas

Mexica raised-field agricultural systems that supported Tenochtitlan’s large population and demonstrated state engineering power.

Sacred kingship

Mesoamerican concept that rulers mediate between humans and the divine; art and ritual legitimize political authority.

Corbel arch (corbel vault)

A vaulted/arched form made by stacking stones so they project inward, creating a roofed interior common in Maya architecture.

Roof comb

An ornamented stone element rising above a Maya roofline that increases visibility and amplifies a building’s elite/ritual presence.

Lintel

A horizontal architectural beam over a doorway; in Maya art, lintels often carry relief carvings that communicate power and ritual.

Bloodletting (Maya ritual)

Elite ritual practice (e.g., drawing a thorned rope through the tongue) used to communicate with gods/ancestors and affirm dynastic legitimacy.

Vision serpent

Supernatural imagery in Maya art representing a portal to the otherworld; figures may emerge to signal ancestral/divine communication.

Yaxchilán

Maya city (c. 300–800 CE) known for architecture and carved lintels that present rulership as ritual performance.

Lady Xook

Elite woman depicted on Yaxchilán’s Lintel 25 performing bloodletting; presented as a powerful ritual actor, not a victim.

Tenochtitlan

Mexica capital built on an island in Lake Texcoco; urban planning, canals, causeways, and chinampas functioned as ideology and propaganda.

Templo Mayor

Main Mexica ceremonial double pyramid dedicated to Tlaloc and Huitzilopochtli; embodies duality and was rebuilt through multiple encasing phases.

Duality (Mexica architectural idea)

Paired complementary forces (e.g., war/agriculture, seasonal cycles) expressed in forms like the Templo Mayor’s twin temples.

Accretion (pyramid building)

Construction method where new temple/pyramid phases encase earlier ones; described for the Templo Mayor as multiple building campaigns.

Coyolxauhqui Stone

Circular relief of the dismembered moon goddess placed at the base of the Templo Mayor, linking myth to sacrificial ritual practice.

Huitzilopochtli

Mexica sun/war deity associated with one half of the Templo Mayor and the mythic defeat of Coyolxauhqui.

Tlaloc

Mexica rain/agriculture deity associated with the other half of the Templo Mayor.

Coatlicue

Mother of Huitzilopochtli in Mexica myth; the Coyolxauhqui narrative centers on conflict surrounding her pregnancy.

Aztec Calendar Stone (Sun Stone)

Mexica basalt monument visualizing cyclical time and cosmic order; emphasizes sacrifice as necessary for sustaining the sun and empire.

Tonatiuh

Deity often identified at the center of the Aztec Calendar Stone, associated with the sun and sacrificial necessity.

52-year cycle

The moment when two Mexica calendar counts synchronize; understood as a dangerous transition requiring ritual action to ensure cosmic survival.

Olmec-style mask

Older jadeite/greenstone mask collected and valued later by the Mexica, showing curation of earlier cultures and long-distance exchange networks.

Ruler’s Feather Headdress

Mexica featherwork regalia made of quetzal and blue cotinga feathers with gold; signals elite status, trade reach, and ceremonial use.

Moai

Monumental stone figures on Rapa Nui associated with ancestors/lineage, expressing communal identity and authority through monumentality.

Ahu

Ceremonial stone platform on Rapa Nui where moai are erected; functions as a ritual and community focal point.

Pukao

Topknot element placed on some moai, made from a different stone, contributing to status display and sculptural completion.

City of Cusco

Inka planned capital where urban design and precision stonework communicate political centralization and sacred geography.

Qorikancha

Inka Temple of the Sun in Cusco, famous for ashlar masonry and described as an observatory; later became the base for Santo Domingo.

Church/Convent of Santo Domingo (colonial overlay)

Spanish church built atop Qorikancha’s Inka foundations, materially demonstrating colonial dominance layered onto sacred Inka architecture.

Saqsa Waman (walls)

Inka massive stone ramparts outside Cusco with extremely large fitted stones, projecting imperial power and engineering skill.

Machu Picchu

Inka engineered mountain site (royal estate/retreat) integrating terraces, water control, and precision masonry with sacred landscape.

Terraces (Inka)

Engineered agricultural and stabilizing structures at sites like Machu Picchu; practical environmental adaptation that also signals state planning.

Intihuatana

Inka “hitching post of the sun” stone associated with solar alignment and ceremonies tied to celestial events.

Backstrap loom

Weaving method where one end is tied to a support and the other around the weaver’s back, allowing tension control for fine textiles.

T’oqapu

Small geometric motif units on Inka textiles that signal high status and may reference identities, places, or affiliations.

All-T’oqapu tunic

Inka elite garment densely patterned with t’oqapu, demonstrating textiles as a high-status “imperial language” of authority.

Repoussé

Metalworking technique shaping sheet metal by hammering to create raised forms; used for Inka metal maize cobs.

Transformation mask (Kwakwaka’wakw)

Performance mask with hinged parts that opens from an animal/bird exterior to a human face, enacting transformation stories in ceremony.

Potlatch

Northwest Coast ceremonial event involving social exchange and status affirmation; transformation masks can be used in this broader ceremonial context.

Bandolier bag

Lenape/Delaware beaded prestige bag worn with a strap across the chest; integrates trade materials (glass beads/cloth) into Indigenous identity display.

Black-on-black ceramic vessel

San Ildefonso Pueblo pottery (Maria and Julian Martinez) with glossy black and matte black designs, reviving tradition while engaging modern markets.