art of the Americas definitions

bandolier bag

a large heavily beaded pouch with a slit on top worn at the waist with a strap over the shoulders

chacmool

a Mayan figure that is half sitting and half lying on his back

corbel arch

a vault formed by layers of stone and gradually grow closer together as they rise and eventually meet

coyolxuahqui

an Aztec moon goddess whose name means “golden bells”

Huitzilopochtli

an Aztec god of the sun and war; sometimes represented as an eagle or as a hummingbird

Kiva

a circular room wholly or partly underground, used for religious rites

Potlatch

a ceremonial feast among Northwest Coast American Indians in which a host demonstrated his or her generosity by bestowing gifts

Pueblo

a communal village of flat-roofed structured of many stories that are stacked in terraces; made of stone or adobe

relief sculpture

a sculpture that projects from a flat background

repousse

a type of metal relief sculpture in which the back side of the plate is hammered to form a raised relief on the front

roof comb

a wall rising from the center ridge of a building to give the appearance of greater height

Teepee

a portable Indian home made of stretched hides placed over wooden poles

Tlaloc

ancient American god who was highly revered; associated with rain, agriculture, and war

T’oqapu

small rectangular shape in an Incan garment

transformation mask

a mask worn in ceremonies by people of the pacific Northwest, Canada or Alaska. The chief feature of the mask is its ability to open and close, going from a bird -like exterior to a human-faced interior