Unit 7

Rulers feather headdress

158. Ruler’s feather headdress (probably of Motecuhzoma II). Mexica (Aztec). 1428–1520 C.E. Feathers (quetzal and cotinga) and gold, 45 5/8” x 68 7/8”. Museo Nacional de Antropologia, Mexico City, Mexico.

• Probably belonged to Motecuhzoma II
• Made of the tail feathers of the Quetzal bird
• 400 feathers (that's a lot of birds
• Only known feather headdress of this culture in the world
• Probably given by Motecuhzoma to Cortez to give to the king
• 400 symbolizes eternity
• At this time Europe was in the midst of the Renaissance

Transformation Mask

Temple Mayor

164. Transformation mask. Kwakwaka’wakw, Northwest coast of Canada. Late 19th century C.E. Wood, paint, and string.

157. Templo Mayor (Main Temple). Tenochtitlan (modern Mexico City, Mexico). Mexica (Aztec). 1375–1520 C.E. Stone

-The Coyolxauhqui Stone, from the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan, Mexico City, Mexico, Aztec, ca. 1469. Stone, diameter 10’ 10”. Museo del Templo Mayor, Mexico City, Mexico. volcanic stone

-Calendar Stone, Mexico. Aztec, c. 1500. Diameter 11’ 6 ¾”. Museo Nacional de Antropologia, Mexico City, Mexico. Basalt

-Olmec-style mask, c. 1470, jadeite, offering 20, hornblende, 4” x 3 1/3” x 1 ¼”. Museo del Templo Mayor, Mexico City, Mexico.

• This is worn over the head as an entire body costume
• It opens and closes to transform from human to bird
• At the moment of transformation the performer turns his back to the audience to conceal the transformtion and heighten the mystery
• It's part of a ritual performance
• Made from a variety of objects

• Aztec art typically is through gold jewelry, jade and turquoise carvings
• Very aggressive people
• One of their more savage deities (daughter of the earth mother and has 400 brothers) started attacking their mother until defeated and dismembered by warrior child of mother that had just been born
• Laid out in a grid the city was seen as the center of the world and had temples on top of the pyramid with two stair cases
• The north temple was dedicated to the god of rain and agriculture and the south one was dedicated to the god sun and war
• During the spring and autumn equinoxes rise between the two temples
• Rebuilt six times and destroyed by the Spanish in 1620
• The C. Stone is made of volcanic stone and is called that because she wears bells on their earrings; she is dismembered here
• Its interesting because the Aztecs when they would take their prisoners would take out the hear, remove the body and then dismember it and behead it on this stone
• She represents the dismember moon goddess which is at the base of the two pyramids
• The relationship between death and decapitation is the sacrifice of the enemies at the top of the pyramids
• The Calendar Stone: Circular shape represents the cycle and nature of time
• Thought they needed to feed the sun god hearts and blood
• Tongue in the center is coming from the gods mouth
• Is used as an alter to murder victims
• Olmec style mask is found on the site and is much older then the work collected by the Olmecs

Chavin de Huantar

153. Chavín de Huántar. Northern highlands, Peru. Chavín. 900–200 B.C.E. Stone (architectural complex); granite (Lanzón and sculpture); hammered gold alloy (jewelry).

Yaxchilan

• A lot of the trouble with finding all the civilizationa and remenants is that a conquering civilization would destroy the previous one
• Artists did not have an elevated status
• Chavin is a civilization named after the main architectural site along the coast of Peru
• Blended human form and animal form
• Temporal sites were built with the cardinal points in mid but this was different
• This was built where two rivers meet and is a very religious site
• Original complex was a U shaped plan that would overlook the ocean
• Stepped platforms went up to support the ceremonial building
• Spiritual center
• Adorned by a jaguar structure to symbolize power
• Hidden entrances leading into underground corridors and the old temple
• Comparable to King Mynoses labyrinth
• Inside the old temple (DARK, only openings for air and sound but not light)
• In the center of the intertwining corridors is the Lanzon stone, very blade like, 15 ft tall; image of a powerful figure that is part human and part jaguar/snake
• Relief cut
• Cult figure
• Center of pilgrimage but there were very few people allowed access to the stone itself
• Those who had access would eat psychedelic cactus while in the presence of the Lanzon
• Hypothesize that the stone acts as an oracle and the point where the stone is is the portal between the mortal and spiritual realm
• Depicts jaguars in a shallow relief
• Double snakes head is a nose ring, makes person who wears it a supernatural being

155. Yaxchilán. Chiapas, Mexico. Maya. 725 C.E. Limestone (architectural complex). -Lintel 25, Structure 23, Lady Xoc, ca. 725 C.E. Limestone, 3’7” x 2’ 6 ½”. British Museum, London, England

Mesa Verde cliff dwellings

• Mayan sculpture has very specific stylistic cues; elongated nose, continuous bridge
• Tied to the monuments; lintel sculpture: Facades are decorated with relief sculpture
• Comparable to Romanesque sculpture
• Chatmul is typical in Mayan remains, half sitting and half balanced on its back, 90 degree face
• Mayans have a lot of intense rituals
• Pyramids are the center of civic activity, narrow and tall interiors
• Corbelled vaulting
• City is set upon a high terrace and flourished between the 3rd and 8th century
• Plaza is surrounded by important buildings
• Structure 40: Built by Bird Jaguar the 4th overlooks the main plaza. three doors leading to a central room decorated with stucco, roof id pretty much intact, ornamented stone on top of the roof
• Structure 33: Restored temple structure, remains of roof are just perforations, three doors lead to a large room in the center, on a stepped platform (similar to a ziggurat)
• Lintel 25: Relief of Building 23, which is dedicated to Lady Xoc who was the wife of the ruler at the time; she is at the bottom right corner invoking the vision serpent to commemorate her husbands rise to the thrown
• In order to talk to the serpent they would pierce their tongue and pull a thread through it and hold a gowl to catch the blood
• Serpent has two heads, one of a warrior and one of a war god (there is debate as who the warrior represents but it is believed that it is another manifestation of her)
• Inscription is a mirror image and no one really knows what it means but it might say that she is having a vision from the other side and that is why it is reversed

Great Serpent Mound

156. Great Serpent Mound. Adams County, southern Ohio. Mississippian (Eastern Woodlands). c. 1070 C.E. Earthwork/effigy mound. Length approx. 1,254’

154. Mesa Verde cliff dwellings. Montezuma County, Colorado. Anasazi. 450–1300 C.E. Sandstone.

• Native Americans from the East were mound builders and earth works
• Somw of these were built in shapes o ambiguous meaning
• Could only be appreciated from the air or high vantage point which they didn't have
• Many mounds were enlarged or changed over the years
• Popular in the Eastern woodlands
• Some say they were influenced by astrological phenomenons
• The head points to the sunset of the summer soltice
• Rattlesnake is a symbol of helpfulness and crop fertility
• No other temples surrounding it
• Might be influenced by Hades comet
• Might be a mirror of constellations or a place of worship
• Large oval above the head of a serpent

• Anasazi (ancient ones) art
• Pueblo made of materials in the area
• Housed about 250 people, clans moved together for mutual support and defense
• At the top chamber there would be supplies and was accessible only by a latter
• There is a plaza in the center
• Every family received one room
• Farming done atop the plateau
• Discovered by rancher looking for one of his animals

All-T'oqapu

162. All-T’oqapu tunic. Inka. 1450–1540 C.E. Camelid fiber and cotton, 35 7/8” x 30”. Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collections. Pre-Columbian Collection, Washington, DC.

• Incas were very fond of abstract designs
• Very colorful and labor intensive indicating that it was made for someone of a high rank
• Toqapus were the squares in the actual unit
• It is very easy to make
• Geometric patterns and figures are prominent in Incan clothing

Bandolier Bag

163. Bandolier bag. Lenape (eastern Delaware) tribe. c. 1850 C.E. Beadwork on leather approx. 22” x 17”; bag without strap, 8 5/8” x 7 ¾”. National Museum of the American Indian, NYC.

Black on Black Ceramic Vessel

City of Cusco

• Highly labor intensive
• Made for women
• No bead work before European contact (Beads imported)
• Belonged to someone with prestige and high rank
• Similar to Chewbacca's bag (hung down to hip)
• A blend of indigenous culture with European elements
• Utilitarian object, so it was functional and beautiful

159. City of Cusco, including Qorikancha (main temple/church and convent of Santo Domingo) and Walls at Saqsa Waman (Sacsayhuaman). Central highlands, Peru. Inka. c. 1440 C.E. Sandstone.

166. Black-on-black ceramic vessel. Maria Martínez and Julian Martínez, Tewa, Puebloan, San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico. c. mid-20th century C.E. Blackware ceramic, 11 1/8” x 13”. National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC

• Historic capital of Inca Empire
• Layout is in the shape of a puma
• The modern Plaza is in the place where the pumas belly would be
• Head is a fortress and the h is the central square
• Remains of the sun temple and the convent of Santo Domingo was built on top
• Ashlar Masonry was their staple
• This was once the most important temple in the Incan Empire
• At one time it was an observatory for priest to chart the sky's
• the Interior court yard was said to have been covered completely in gold
• Inca's widely used gold in their architecture
• Complex outside the city of Cusco
• Another example of Ashlar masonry (rocks fit perfectly together)
• It connects the four main roads of the empire

• Glaze was black and then they had a different textured glaze on top
• This is done with initial firing for the first glaze, the other glaze is painted on and then fired again
• Most likely done using a potters wheel
• Some of the surface is highly polished, others are matte
• Come from the 1000 year old tradition in the Southwest
• At the time of production the Pueblo were in decline
• Work sparked a revival of Pueblo technique
• Maria made the pot and Julian revived the glaze
• Julian used a revivla of ancient designs
• Maria invented new shapes then what had previously been used
• Very smooth clean surface
• Very symmetrical which is very hard in ceramics

Maize Cobs

160. Maize cobs. Inka. c. 1400–1533 C.E. Sheet metal/repousée, gold and silver alloys 10 x 2 11/32”. Ethnologisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.

Machu Picchu

161. City of Machu Picchu. Central highlands, Peru. Inka. c. 1450–1540 C.E. Granite (architectural complex). 7, 970’ above sea level, Constructed area is 530 meters x 200 meters or 26.19 acres. Intihuatana Stone, prism 118’ height

• Principle food source of the Andes mountains
• Made using the Reprosee technique
• They believe that this was part of a larger garden type sculpture
• Put in place along side plants
• May have been used to ensure a successful harvest
• Black maize was common in Peru and the way the silver is oxidizes is supposed to look like black corn

• Originally this was an area of Royal retreat
• Estate of 15th century Incan rulers
• So remote it was more then likely used as a getaway for nobles
• The buildings are Ashlar Masonry
• Roofs were thatched
• 200 buildings; house, temples, palaces, baths
• The observatory uses the trapezoidal shape we have seen before and was used to chart the suns movements
• Terraces used for farming
• Inthuatana: The Hitching Post of the Sun
• Aligns with the sun at the spring and autumn equinoxes when the sun stands over the pillar creating no shadow
• Incan ceremonies were held in convention with this event

Hide painting of Sun Dance

165. Hide painting of Sun Dance. Attributed to Cotsiogo (Cadzi Cody), Eastern Shoshone, Wind River Reservation, Wyoming. c. 1890–1900 C.E. Painted elk hide, 81” x 78”. Brooklyn Museum, New York..

• Worn over the soilders of a warrior
• Detailed his biographical information, personal accomplishments
• These were done to commemorate to tell a story
• Eventually these hides were sought after in the Wester marketplace
• Give us an inside to the life of the plains peoples and their cultures
• Similar to the Bayuex Tapestry and the Colunm of Trajian
• Narrative
• Bison were considered gifts from the creators
• Horses were in common use by the natives by 1750, Liberated the plains people
• The sun dance was conducted around a bisons head and was outlawed by the US government (it was a threat to order in the west) :/
• The men dance and others sing and they drum
• The plains people made use of tepees
• The poles that stuck out of the tepee was reaching for the spirit world
• Fire represents the heart
• The flap to the tepees was oriented to the East to greet the new day

Indigenous America's