AP Art History Notes: Americas 153–180 + Female Pwo Mask & Africa highlights (VOCABULARY flashcards)

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering major works and concepts from the Americas and Africa sections of the notes.

Chavín de Huántar

Northern highlands, Peru; 900–200 BCE; stone/granite, gold alloy; religious pilgrimage site with Lanzón deity (human/feline); jaguar symbolism and spiritual transformation; spread of Chavín art across the Andes.

Mesa Verde cliff dwellings

Montezuma County, Colorado; Ancestral Puebloan; 450–1300 CE; sandstone; residential/ceremonial (kivas); defensive location; adaptation to harsh environment.

Yaxchilán

Chiapas, Mexico; Maya; 725 CE; limestone; Lintel 25 depicting Lady Xoc’s bloodletting; Maya glyphs; role of royal women; legitimation of kingship through sacrifice.

Great Serpent Mound

Adams County, Ohio; Mississippian; c. 1070 CE; earthwork; effigy mound aligned with celestial events; linked to Halley’s Comet; ritual/astronomical function.

Templo Mayor (Main Temple)

Tenochtitlan, Mexico; Mexica (Aztec); 1375–1520 CE; stone; dual temples to Huitzilopochtli and Tlaloc; center of Aztec cosmos; human sacrifice; Coyolxauhqui Stone myth of a dismembered goddess.

Ruler’s feather headdress

Mexica (Aztec); 1428–1520 CE; feathers, gold; ceremonial wear for ruler/priest; Quetzal feathers symbolize wealth and long-distance trade; political/religious symbolism.

City of Cusco

Peru; Inka; c. 1440 CE; Andesite; planned city shaped like a puma; Qorikancha (Temple of the Sun); Inka stone masonry; Spanish colonial overlay.

Maize cobs

Inka; c. 1440–1533 CE; sheet metal alloys; naturalistic maize used for ritual offerings; symbolizes agricultural abundance and spiritual value; displays metallurgical skill.

Machu Picchu

Peru; Inka; c. 1450–1540 CE; granite; royal estate/retreat; terraces for agriculture; Intihuatana stone as solar calendar.

All-T’oqapu tunic

Inka; c. 1450–1540 CE; camelid fiber, cotton; worn by ruler; each square motif represents conquered peoples; visual representation of Inka power; textiles valued above gold.

Bandolier bag

Lenape (Delaware); c. 1850 CE; beadwork on leather; inspired by European ammunition bags; ceremonial gift; cultural resilience; glass beads = European trade goods.

Transformation mask

Kwakwaka’wakw, Canada; late 19th c; wood, paint, string; opens from animal to human form; worn in potlatch ceremonies; symbolizes spiritual transformation.

Painted elk hide

Attributed to Cotsiogo (Cadzi Cody), Shoshone; c. 1890–1900 CE; painted hide; connected to Sun Dance and buffalo hunts; cultural record during U.S. suppression; portable art form.

Black-on-black ceramic vessel

Maria & Julian Martínez, San Ildefonso Pueblo; mid-20th c; ceramic; Pueblo pottery revival; matte/glossy surface contrast; traditional form adapted for art markets.

Great Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe; Shona peoples; c. 1000–1400 CE; granite; royal/trade center; stone walls indicating power; wealth from gold trade.

Great Mosque of Djenné

Mali; founded c. 1200; rebuilt 1906–07; adobe; Sudano-Sahelian style; annual replastering as a community ritual; Islamic influence in West Africa.

Wall plaque, Oba’s palace

Benin (Nigeria); Edo peoples; 16th c; brass; depicts Oba in hierarchy of scale; palace decoration, royal history; evidence of Portuguese trade.

Golden Stool (Sika dwa kofi)

Ashanti (Ghana); c. 1700 CE; gold over wood; spiritual symbol of Ashanti kingship; believed to contain the nation’s soul; never sat upon.

Ndop (portrait figure) of King Mishe Kuba

King Mishe Kuba, DR Congo; c. 1760–1780 CE; wood; idealized king portrait; kept in shrine; commemorative; records reign/authority.

Power figure (Nkisi n’kondi)

Kongo (DRC); late 19th c; wood, metal; oath-sealing/spiritual protector; nails activate spirit; Christian influence in form.

Female (Pwo) mask

Chokwe (DRC); late 19th–early 20th c; wood, fiber, pigment, metal; worn by male dancers; honors female ancestors; celebrates fertility and womanhood.

Portrait mask (Mblo)

Baule (Côte d’Ivoire); early 20th c; wood, pigment; masquerade performance; idealized beauty; represents admired individual.

Bundu mask

Mende (Sierra Leone, Liberia); 19th–20th c; wood, cloth, fiber; used by women’s initiation society; symbolizes fertility/morality; ideals of womanhood.

Ikenga (shrine figure)

Igbo (Nigeria); 19th–20th c; wood; symbol of personal achievement; horns = strength, masculinity; shrine for success/power.

Lukasa (memory board)

Luba (DRC); 19th–20th c; wood, beads, metal; mnemonic device for oral history; used by elite council; tactile reading system.

Aka elephant mask

Bamileke (Cameroon); 19th–20th c; wood, raffia, cloth, beads; worn in royal dances; elephant = king’s strength; beads = wealth, trade.

Reliquary figure (Byeri)

Fang (Cameroon); 19th–20th c; wood; guardian of ancestor relics; mix of abstraction and naturalism; protects remains.

Veranda post of enthroned king and senior wife

Olowe of Ise (Yoruba); c. 1910–1914 CE; wood, pigment; hierarchical scale with wife supporting king; emphasizes female power; dynamic Yoruba carving.