Unit 4 ap art history

Chavín de Huántar (153)

  • Culture: Chavín, Peru

  • Date: 900–200 BCE

  • Type: Stone temple complex

  • Key Ideas:

    • Religious center in the Andes

    • Underground galleries, water channels, and dark corridors

    • Spiritual transformation, jaguar imagery

    • Shows early organized religion in the Americas

Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings (154)

  • Culture: Ancestral Puebloans (Anasazi)

  • Date: 450–1300 CE

  • Type: Sandstone cliff dwellings

  • Key Ideas:

    • Built into cliffs for protection

    • Kivas = circular ceremonial rooms

    • Shows community living and adaptation to environment

Yaxchilán (155)

  • Culture: Maya

  • Date: 725 CE

  • Type: Limestone city and temples

  • Key Ideas:

    • Hieroglyphic stairways and lintels

    • Shows rulers performing bloodletting rituals

    • Art used for political power and religion

Great Serpent Mound (156)

  • Culture: Mississippian

  • Date: c. 1070 CE

  • Type: Earthwork effigy mound

  • Key Ideas:

    • Shaped like a serpent swallowing an egg

    • Possibly tied to astronomy and seasonal cycles

    • Shows spiritual connection to nature

Templo Mayor (157)

  • Culture: Aztec (Mexica)

  • Date: 1375–1520 CE

  • Type: Temple pyramid

  • Key Ideas:

    • Located in Tenochtitlán

    • Dedicated to Huitzilopochtli (war) and Tlaloc (rain)

    • Used for ritual sacrifice

Motecuhzoma’s Headdress (158)

  • Culture: Aztec

  • Date: 1428–1520 CE

  • Type: Featherwork

  • Key Ideas:

    • Made of quetzal feathers and gold

    • Symbol of power and divine authority

    • Shows value of rare natural materials

Cusco (159)

  • Culture: Inka

  • Date: 1440 CE

  • Type: Capital city

  • Key Ideas:

    • Planned in shape of a puma

    • Ashlar masonry (perfect stone fitting)

    • Political and religious center

Maize Cobs (160)

  • Culture: Inka

  • Date: c. 1440 CE

  • Type: Metal sculpture

  • Key Ideas:

    • Maize = sacred and life-giving

    • Shows importance of agriculture

    • Used in religious offerings

Machu Picchu (161)

  • Culture: Inka

  • Date: c. 1450 CE

  • Type: Mountain city

  • Key Ideas:

    • Royal estate for emperor

    • Terraces for farming

    • Shows harmony with landscape

All T’oqapu Tunic (162)

  • Culture: Inka

  • Date: 1450–1540 CE

  • Type: Woven garment

  • Key Ideas:

    • Worn by high-ranking men

    • T’oqapu designs = status symbols

    • Textile more valuable than gold

Bandolier Bag (163)

  • Culture: Lenape (Delaware)

  • Date: 1850–1900 CE

  • Type: Beaded leather bag

  • Key Ideas:

    • Floral designs influenced by European trade

    • Shows cultural adaptation

    • Used for ceremonies and identity

Transformation Mask (164)

  • Culture: Kwakwaka’wakw

  • Date: late 19th century

  • Type: Wood, string, paint

  • Key Ideas:

    • Opens to reveal another face

    • Used in dances and storytelling

    • Shows spiritual transformation

Painted Elk Hide (165)

  • Culture: Lakota/Sioux

  • Date: c. 1900

  • Type: Painted animal hide

  • Key Ideas:

    • Records battles and life events

    • History told through images

    • Portable storytelling

Black-on-Black Ceramic (166)

  • Culture: Pueblo (Maria Martinez)

  • Date: mid-1900s

  • Type: Pottery

  • Key Ideas:

    • Matte vs shiny black designs

    • Revival of traditional techniques

    • Blends tradition and innovation

Big Themes for Unit 5

  • Art connected to nature, religion, and community

  • No writing → history told through images and symbols

  • Art = power, identity, and spirituality

  • Materials come from the environment

  • Art used in rituals, leadership, and daily life