V. Kinds of Art

Sapieha/Art Resource, NY

The Temple of the Sun at Teotihuacán, Mexico, was built between AD 50 and 200. The pyramidal structure is made of layers of clay faced with stone, and it stands about 61m (200 ft) high. Flights of stairs lead to the top, where a temple to the sun god Uitzilopochtli originally stood. The site is aligned with the rising and setting of the sun on the summer solstice.

C. Painting

Archaeologists are continually excavating new examples of painted pre-Columbian architectural decoration.

Teotihuacán in Mexico had buildings covered on both the interior and exterior with a thick plaster that was painted with either decorative patterns or narrative scenes. At the Mexican sites of Bonampak and Chichén Itzá, the Maya and Maya-Toltec painted their temple interiors with realistic frescoes that depict historical events. Although primarily found in Mesoamerica, architectural painting has been discovered in the Intermediate Area in the geometrically patterned underground tombs at Tierradentro in Colombia and the mythological murals at Panamarca in Peru. Also in Peru, Moche effigy pots of architectural structures indicate that the exteriors of buildings were often boldly painted with symbolic motifs.

Three fanged deities emerge from a bundle of corn cobs in this Moche vessel from the 5th or 6th century. Made of terra-cotta, this bottle was undoubtedly used for ceremonial purposes, as was most of the pottery produced by this Andean culture. Bridgeman Art Library, London/New York

The refined drawing abilities of the Maya, Mixtec, and Aztec peoples are demonstrated in their picture or pictographic writing preserved in the codices. Most Post-Classic codices were destroyed during the 16th century by Spanish missionaries who saw them as instruments of evil. Among the few preserved were the Maya codices (now in Dresden, Paris, and Madrid), the Codex Zouche-Nuttall of the Mixtec (now in the British Museum, London), and some Aztec works.

Another type of pre-Columbian painting was the decoration of pottery. Maya, Moche, and Peruvian Nazca ceramics provide many of the finest examples of design and technique.

D. Decorative Arts

Many objects recovered from pre-Columbian sites are associated with burial offerings and are utilitarian or ceremonial rather than decorative in function. Despite the lack of many technological advantages in their manufacture, these objects were equal in design and execution to any of the finest examples of preindustrial art in any part of the world.

1. Pottery

Possibly first developed in Colombia or Ecuador, pottery succeeded baskets and gourds as containers. Throughout the entire pre-Columbian world, pottery became the most common surviving artifact. Both hand-modeled and molded pots and clay objects were made. Decoration involved incising designs, carving or molding reliefs, and employing various techniques of painting and polishing. Although polychromed ceramics were produced, most pottery was painted with one or two colors or left unpainted.

This seated dog bottle (100 BC-AD 250) comes from the Mexican state of Colima. It is made of highly burnished, red-orange terra-cotta and is notable for its simple, rounded form. The blending of animal and human forms with functional pottery was characteristic of pre-Columbian art. Bridgeman Art Library, London/New York

2. Metalwork

From its probable origins in the northern Central Andean Area about 700 BC, metalworking spread to the Intermediate Area and finally was transmitted to Mesoamerica about AD1000. Because of European greed for gold and silver, most unburied or unhidden objects of these materials were melted down by the Spanish conquerors and exported to Spain as ingots. Although iron and steel were unknown, copper was widely worked and the alloying of bronze was discovered about AD1000. Tumbaga, an alloy of copper and gold, was employed in Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador. Many techniques were used for working metal, including the lost-wax process, soldering, and repoussé or embossing. Metalwork was frequently engraved, gilded, or inlaid with various stones and shells.

The availability of gold facilitated the creation of jewelry in large quantities among the Moche culture of pre-Columbian Peru. This piece, known as a "tweezer" pendant, features stylized bird heads and a feline image. It was made between AD 200 and 700 and is now part of the collection of the Museo Oro of Peru. Tom McHugh/Photo Researchers, Inc.

3. Textiles

Because of the extremely dry climate of the Peruvian coast, this is the only pre-Columbian region where major examples of early textiles have survived. Buried in desert tombs, especially in the Paracas Peninsula, 2500-year-old textiles have been perfectly preserved, as they were in the arid climate of ancient Egypt. Cotton was the most common fiber used for weaving cloth, although in the Central Andean Area llama, alpaca, and vicuña wool was also used. These materials were often colored with mineral and vegetable dyes. Besides woven patterns and images, textiles designs were achieved through painting, stamping, embroidering, and appliqué. In Post-Classic Mesoamerica and Peru, fabric was also made of feathers.

Bridgeman Art Library, London/NY

This is an example of a 15th-century pre-Columbian Peruvian shroud, made of cotton and vicuña and brocaded in colored wools. It was probably woven on a heddle loom, and the color was made from mineral and vegetable dyes. The geometric, catlike forms in red and gold probably represent some sort of Inca religious entity. The piece is part of the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.