B. Classic Period

Teotihuacán, the Maya cities, the Zapotec center at Monte Albán, and the Classic Vera Cruz culture were the dominant civilizations of the Classic era.

1. Teotihuacán

Some 40 km (some 25 mi) northeast of Mexico City is the site of Teotihuacán (“Place of the Gods”). Here the first truly urban Mesoamerican civilization developed; the largest city in the pre-Columbian western hemisphere, it grew into an important city during the 1st century AD, flourished until about AD 650, and had a population of as many as 125,000 at its peak. A classic aesthetic evolved, emphasizing order and refinement. Austerely elegant, stylized design resulted in the creation of a monumental art, the effect of which is serene simplicity and noble grandeur. Buildings, for example, were designed using the talud-tablero (slope-and-panel) system. With this type of design the contrasting horizontal and vertical elements were all rigidly controlled and unified, as were the projecting and recessive structural areas, the light and dark effects, and the illustrative and geometric ornamentation.

The monumentality of Teotihuacán architecture is evident in the Pyramid of Quetzalcoatl at Cholula, the largest single pre-Columbian structure, and the Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacán, which is second in size. In area covered and in volume, both structures are larger than any ancient Egyptian pyramid. Palace complexes organized around plazas are among the most impressive examples of pre-Columbian residences. All Teotihuacán architecture was thickly covered with stucco, which was usually painted with murals. The best remaining examples of these frescoes decorate the interior walls of palaces at Teotihuacán. Three styles of murals have been categorized: decorative designs with symbolic meaning; stylized conceptual images of deities and mythological creatures; and narrative scenes that are more perceptual or realistic than abstract and schematic.

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.

Few monumental examples of stone sculpture survive. The most famous of these stone sculptures is an architectonic monolith of the water goddess Chalchiuhtlicue. The most characteristic examples of Teotihuacán stone carving are stylized human masks that were originally attached to mummy bundles.

Two distinct types of ceramics were produced. Delicately shaped, thin orange-ware was widely traded throughout Mesoamerica, but the most prized pottery consisted of ceremonial objects thinly coated with plaster that was incised and then painted in a manner resembling ceremonial murals. The tripod—a straight-sided bowl supported by three flat legs—was the vessel shape initiated and most used by Teotihuacán potters. Clay figurines were produced, many being representations of people of the time and of dancing spirits of the dead.

2. Maya

Maya civilization dominated southern Mesoamerica in the second half of the first millennium AD. Although originating in the Pre-Classic period and continuing until the time of the Spanish conquest, Maya culture achieved its most significant artistic and intellectual achievements during the Late Classic phase, from about 600 to about 900.

In variety and quality of architecture, the Maya are unexcelled by any other pre-Columbian civilization. Primarily found in lowland tropical areas, Classic Maya sites, with proportionally more emphasis on ceremonial features, appear to be less truly urban than Teotihuacán. The majority of Maya ruins are in Mexico; they include Palenque, Yaxchilán, and Bonampak and, in the Yucatán Peninsula, Chichén Itzá, Cobá, Dzibilchaltún, Edzna, Hochob, Kabah, Labna, Sayil, Uxmal, and Xpujil. Other major sites are Copán in Honduras and, in Guatemala, Piedras Negras, Quiriguá, and Tikal, the largest of all Maya ceremonial centers. Maya architecture is characterized by an exquisite sense of proportion and design and by structural refinement and subtle detailing. The Maya used sculpture more extensively for architectural decoration than any other pre-Columbian civilization. The corbel arch was employed not only to vault interior spaces, but also to construct freestanding arches. Despite the lack of carts and domesticated beasts of burden, the Maya built paved roadways. These connected major religious and administrative centers and seem to have been used mostly for ceremonial processions and to symbolize political links.

Maya art is the most highly refined and elegant in technique and design of any pre-Columbian civilization. Dignity and majesty were stressed in figurative art, as well as the representation of both physical and psychological reality. Rather than stasis and economy of form, the Maya seem to have sought exuberant, sensual movement and lavish ornamentation. Although Maya artists adhered to the basic precepts of their aesthetic tradition and iconography, innovation and individuality were encouraged.

Stelae with figurative carving and inscriptions are the most characteristic examples of the monumental freestanding stone sculpture of the Maya. The most elaborate examples are found at Copán, where the softness of the stone made possible baroque flamboyance of ornament. Most major sites have well-developed traditions of architectural relief panels in stone, and at Palenque stucco was effectively used for reliefs.

The Maya mastered all known pre-Columbian art forms except metalworking. Although no Maya textiles remain, their character and decoration can be discerned from representations in painting, figurines, and sculptures. Jade was skillfully carved, as were wood, bone, and shell; in clay, however, the Maya excelled. Realistic figurines (especially those from the islands of Jaina) and polychromed pottery with mythological or genre scenes (produced at Chama) are among the finest accomplishments of pre-Columbian sculpture and painting.

Fresco painting was practiced. Particularly fine examples have been found at Bonampak, Palenque, and Tikal. The Maya also had libraries of codices with images and text. Of the three remaining codices the Dresden Codex (Sachsische Landesbibliothek, Dresden, Germany) best illustrates the Maya's descriptive and formally dynamic use of line.

3. Zapotec

In the Valley of Oaxaca the Zapotec culture (sometimes referred to as Monte Albán culture) had been developing since the Pre-Classic period (beginning circa 1500 BC), but it reached its height between about AD300 and 700. Monte Albán (flourished about 500 BC-AD500), the major Zapotec urban complex, indicates that this civilization had early links with the Olmec, then with Teotihuacán. Because of their strong focus on elite ancestor worship the Zapotec produced much art for use in funerary rites. Tombs at Monte Albán and throughout the Oaxaca area have yielded elaborate burial urns depicting elite ancestors associated with natural forces such as rain and wind.

The temples of Monte Albán show the influence of the talud-tablero design of Teotihuacán architecture, as do the spacious plazas surrounded by monumental stairways leading to platform temples. Stelae with political reliefs and glyph inscriptions are scattered around the site. Tombs were often multichambered and adorned with frescoes that reflect the influence of Teotihuacán murals.

The influence of the Teotihuacán and Maya cultures can be seen in the design of this urn from the Zapotec era. It is probably a burial urn and is made of limestone. The face on the urn has a feline quality, which may have a connection to the jaguar deity of the Olmec civilization. Bridgeman Art Library, London/New York

4. Classic Vera Cruz

Along the Gulf of Mexico coast another culture developed; once erroneously called Totonac, it is now referred to as Classic Vera Cruz (after the modern Mexican state in which its activity was concentrated). El Tajín was the culture's principal ceremonial center. Its seven ball courts indicate the importance of the Mesoamerican ritual ball game tlachtli to this culture's ritual observances. Many of the most significant reliefs decorate the ball courts, and some indicate human sacrifice of the players.

The major artifacts of the Classic Vera Cruz culture are associated with the ball game. Hachas (“axes”), yugos (“yokes”), and palmas (“palms”) are all made of stone and resemble in shape the objects for which they are named. Their actual use remains much debated; however, most scholars now believe they were awarded to leading ballplayers and were worn not during play but for ceremonial processions and celebrations. The hachas may also have been ball-court markers.

This figure from the Classic Vera Cruz culture (circa 600-800) was made by an artisan working in clay. The figure is a man playing the ritual ball game known as tlachtli, which was an important part of the Classic Vera Cruz culture. The influence of other Central American cultures can be seen in the style of the figure, but it has a simplicity of form unique to Classic Vera Cruz artifacts. Nefsky/Art Resource, NY

Clay figurines of outstanding quality were also widely produced, especially in the Remojadas region, which is famous for its broad-faced laughing figurines. Highly naturalistic hollow figurines, produced wholly or partly by molds, are among the most significant large-scale pre-Columbian clay sculptures. Their detailed features and ornamental detail were characteristically emphasized by applying black pitch or asphalt after firing.

Because of its central location and accessibility, the Classic Vera Cruz culture was eclectic. Its art and architecture, especially at the site of Cerro de las Mesas, show Olmec, Teotihuacán, Zapotec, and Maya influence.

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