02.01 Indigenous America Lecture

Science of Mixtures

• Mixtures can be:
  • Visible (e.g., soil)
  • Invisible (e.g., sugar dissolved in water)
• The blend of European influences in Indigenous art is likened to sugar in water, being widespread but not constitutive of Indigenous identity.

Definitions of Indigenous

• Refer to cultures and practices existing before European contact (pre-1492 C.E.).

Classifications of Indigenous American Art

• Native North America: Cultures in current U.S. and Canada
• Ancient America: Cultures in areas now south of the U.S.-Mexico border pre-1550 C.E., including:
  • Andean South America: Chavín
  • Mesoamerica: Olmec, Maya, Mexica
  • Central America

Major Ancient Cultures

The Chavín (Peru)

• Region: From Western Central America to the Andes Mountains (Peru)
• Beliefs: Include shamanism, animal spirit worship, and participation in religious trances.
• Key Site: Chavín de Huántar
  • Located at the confluence of rivers (symbol of harmony = Tinkuay)
  • Structure: U-shaped Old Temple with a sunken circular plaza for communal worship.
  • Lanzón Stela: A feline-human deity sculpture placed within labyrinth-like tunnels, used as a pilgrimage site.
  • Architecture: Built in stages, designed without windows fostering a dark, spiritual experience.

The Olmec (Southeastern Mexico)

• Region: Near the Gulf of Mexico
• Art: Carved reliefs depicting jaguar-human hybrids, early pyramids, and earthworks.
• Cultural Influence: Seen as the "Mother Culture" of Mesoamerica.

The Teotihuacán (Central Mexico)

• Region: Spanning both Pacific and Gulf coastlines.
• Architecture: Characterized by pyramids featuring the image of the feathered serpent (Quetzalcoatl).
• City Layout: Complex grid pattern, designed as a ritual city.

The Maya (Yucatán, Belize, Guatemala)

• Region: Primarily in the Yucatán Peninsula and surrounding areas.
• Art and Architecture:
  • Notable for nine-level stepped pyramids, ball courts, and plazas.
  • Significant relief carvings and celestial architectural alignments.

The Mexica / Aztec (South-Central Mexico)

• Region: Same as Teotihuacán, expanded into a large empire.
• Religion: Centered on blood sacrifice, with dual temples and massive pyramids.
• Art: Prominent for dramatic stone carvings and portrayals of dismembered goddesses like Coyolxauhqui.
• Materials: Valued jade, obsidian, and feathers symbolized key aspects of their culture.

Comparative Sacred Architecture

Chavín de Huántar (Peru)

• Function: A shamanistic pilgrimage center.
• Key Features:
  • U-shaped stone buildings with no natural light.
  • The Lanzón Stela serves as the central deity figure within.
  • Features underground tunnels enhancing ritualistic journeys.
• Symbolism: Suggests transformations and spiritual quests.

Chartres Cathedral (France)

• Function: A Christian pilgrimage destination.
• Key Features:
  • Gothic basilica layout with a cross-shaped floor plan.
  • Stained-glass windows, representing 'lux nova' (divine light).
  • Holds Mary's birthing linen as a relic.
  • The Royal Portal showcases sculptures of kings, queens, and Christ.
  • Constructed in stages similar to Chavín.

Common Themes in Ancient Mesoamerican Architecture

• Calendars: A shared calendar system among cultures.
• Sacrifice: Ritual offerings including those from ballgame participants.
• Hierarchy: Monumental architecture built by an elite class.
• Orientation: Structures aligned with sacred mountains and celestial bodies.
• Renovation: Sacred sites were expanded over centuries.
• Materials Used: Predominantly jadeite, quetzal feathers, and obsidian.
• Architecture Patterns:
  • Olmec earth mounds led to pyramids,
  • Mayan architecture includes nine-level structures and post-and-lintel stonework,
  • Mexica architecture features twin temples with vibrant paint and relief sculptures.

Cultural Oversimplification

• Avoid generalizing Indigenous cultures; they exhibit as much diversity as European cultures do.
• Distinct styles, beliefs, materials, and histories characterize each group.

Aztec (Mexica) Religion & Beliefs

Key Deities

• Huitzilopochtli: God of war, sun, and fire; central to the pantheon.
  • Son of Coatlicue,
  • Myth includes his killing of his sister Coyolxauhqui and 400 brothers.
• Coatlicue: Earth/mother goddess, symbolizing sacrifice and rebirth.
• Coyolxauhqui: Known for her dismemberment by Huitzilopochtli.

Templo Mayor (Main Temple), Tenochtitlan

• Dedicated to Huitzilopochtli.
• Architecture includes twin staircases leading to two temples.
• Built in seven layers through time.
• Coyolxauhqui Stone at the temple base symbolizes her myth and real sacrificial rituals, showcasing actions that reenact divine narratives.

Sacred Sculpture

Coatlicue Statue

• An 8'6" high basalt sculpture.
• Symbolizes themes of death and sacrifice:
  • Features a decapitated figure with serpents as blood and a necklace of hands, hearts, and skulls.
  • Discovered near a Mexico City cathedral.

Ritual & Time

• Mexica use two main calendars:
  • A 260-day sacred calendar.
  • A 365-day solar calendar (360 + 5 "unlucky" days).
• The New Fire Ceremony occurs every 52 years when the calendars align, aimed at balancing the universe.

Calendar Stone

• A monumental 25-ton Mexica sculpture, not a functional calendar.
• Illustrates the 5th sun and previous world cycles:
  • Central image = Earth Monster, not the sun god.
  • Also served as a sacrificial platform.
  • Depicts four previous ages ending in different calamities; current age (4-Movement) is believed to end in an earthquake.

Art Collection & Influence

• Mexica incorporated and reverently buried Olmec-style masks within Templo Mayor, showcasing cultural continuity and respect for prior civilizations.

Sacred Spaces Compared