Comprehensive Notes on Mesoamerican Art and Cultures
Mesoamerican Art
Chronological Scope
Olmec Civilization (Pre-Classical Period): ca. 1200–400 BCE.
Maya Civilization (Classical Period): ca. 200–900 CE.
Aztec Civilization: Peak between ca. 1345 and 1521 CE (chronologically beyond the scope of this course).
Note: The Inca Empire, located in present-day Peru, is not considered part of Mesoamerica.
Map of Mesoamerica
Key sites and civilizations include Teotihuacan, Veracruz, and Mixtec.
The map illustrates the geographical locations of various cultures and sites within Mesoamerica, including Olmec, Maya, Aztec, and others.
Olmec Civilization
Olmec Colossal Heads
Material: Made from basalt stone (a common material for the Olmec).
Size: Each head ranges from 5 to 12 feet in height.
Representation: Adult males, possibly Olmec rulers.
Characteristics: Distinct personality, shared physiognomic traits.
Arrangement: originally arranged in groups or lines
Transportation: Method of transportation of the basalt stones is unclear.
Olmec Jade Figurines
Material: Jade, a decorative mineral usually green.
Shapes: Complex shapes, often composite figures (e.g., animal + human).
Functions:
Important for trade.
Signs of wealth.
Religious purposes.
Teotihuacan
Nature: Independent city-state, not belonging to any of the major Mesoamerican civilizations.
Name Meaning: "Gathering place of gods".
Emergence: Emerged around 100-200 CE.
Prosperity: Greatest prosperity between ca. 350-650 CE.
Extent: Covered approximately 9 square miles.
Population: Estimated population of 200,000.
Economic Basis: Prosperity based on high-quality obsidian (volcanic stone used in tools and vessels).
Influence: Profound impact on later Mesoamerican cultures.
Avenue of the Dead, Teotihuacan
Major city thoroughfare known as the Avenue of the Dead.
Pyramids of Teotihuacan
Pyramid of the Sun:
Contains an inner chamber (looted in antiquity).
One of the largest structures in Mesoamerica.
Pyramid of the Moon:
Does not contain inner chambers.
Sacrifices: Remains of sacrificed animals found (pumas, rattlesnakes, birds of prey).
Classic Maya Culture
Palenque
Location: Modern Mexico.
Original Maya Name: Lakamha.
Temple of the Inscriptions in Palenque
Height: Approximately 75 feet tall.
Symbolism: The architecture of the pyramid corresponds with the belief in the Maya Underworld, which has nine levels.
Pakal's Sarcophagus
Pakal's sarcophagus chamber and glyphs are located in the Temple of Inscriptions.
Death Mask of King Kinich Janaab Pakal
Date: Approximately 638 CE.
Location: Palenque, found in the Temple of the Inscriptions.
Painted Vessels
Subject: Enthroned Maya Lord and Attendants.
Date: ca. 650-750 C.E., Classic Maya.
Decoration: Decoration of plates and vessels, alongside inscriptions, indicates the objects' usage.
Luxury Drink: Drinking chocolate was a luxury drink.
Maya Blue
Characteristics: Distinct and very durable color.
Usage: Used in all types of media.
Composition:
Indigo plant + palygorskite ore.
Combined at 300–400F (temperature in Fahrenheit).
(300-400)^\\circ F
Discovery: Process and ingredients discovered only recently.
Scale and Makers: Who made it and on what scale is still unknown.
Ritual Significance: Possibly a ritual part of sacrifice at Chichen Itza.
One theory: When the sky was cloudless and such a shade of blue, someone was painted this color and sacrificed to the god of rain.
Classic Maya Collapse
Timing: Decline of the civilization begins in the 900s.
Theories:
Drought & famine (environmental factors).
Overpopulation.
Warfare.
Last Independent Maya City: 1697: the last independent (post-classical) Maya city, Nojpeten in present-day Guatemala, falls to the Spaniards.
European Conquest: Unlike other indigenous civilizations in the Americas, the Maya collapse cannot be attributed to the European conquest.
Post-Classic Maya Civilization
El Castillo (The Castle) at Chichen Itza
Location: Yucatan, Mexico.
Date: 9th-13th century.
The Great Ball Court at Chichen Itza
Location: Yucatan, Mexico.
Date: 9th-13th century.
Modern Version: Modern version of the ball game = Ulama.
Ballplayer
Date: Classic Maya, 700-900CE.
Material: Painted clay.
Height: Approximately 6 inches tall.
Note: Height is approx. 6 Inches. " means inches and is approximately equal to 2.54cm.
Then 6 \text{ inches} = (6 \cdot 2.54) \text{ cm} = 15.24 \text{cm}Significance of the Ball Game:
Left: two ball players & a preserved rubber ball.
Right: a sacrificed ball player.
Veracruz
“Smiling” Figures (Sonriente)
Date: 7th-8th century CE.
Representation: Evocation of ritualistic, festive dances.
Function: Some figurines might have been used as whistles.
Flattened Foreheads: An artistic convention or actual practice of cranial deformation.
Mixtec Culture
Influence: One of the most influential cultures in post-classic Maya Mesoamerica before the rise of the Aztecs.
Political Structure: Similarly to the Maya, Mixtecs never created a unified empire.
Codex Zouche-Nuttall
Date: ca. 14th-15th century.
Writing System: Characters and pictures represent complete words and ideas (instead of syllables or sounds).
Content: Mixtec codices document historical events in their society.
Material: Made of deerskin.
Format: Folded in an accordion pattern.
Survival: Only eight such codices survive.
Scenes Depicted:
Left top: wedding scene.
Left bottom: Mixtec ruler, Eight Deer Jaguar-Claw.
Right: a Warrior Scene.
Codex Selden
Origin: Mixtec (region of present-day Oaxaca).
Date: ca. 1560.
Palimpsest
*A manuscript on which the original writing and images have been painted over or otherwise effaced to make room for new content.
Technique: Original writing and images have been painted over or otherwise effaced to make room for new content.
Hyperspectral Imaging: Images revealed using hyperspectral imaging.