INDIGENOUS AMERICAN ART INDIGENOUS AMERICAS Indigenous Americas The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre- Columbian inhabitants of North and South America. In other words, these refer to the tribes of the Americas before the arrival of Europeans in the 1500’s. Indigenous peoples of the United States are commonly known as Native Americans or American Indians, and Alaska Natives. INDIGENOUS AMERICAS Indigenous Americas Chavin de Huantar. Northern highlands, Peru. Chavin. 900-200 BCE. The Chavín de Huántar was actually constructed by the pre-Incan tribe, the Chavin, around 900 B.C. The Chavins survived basically on an agricultural economy, because of its strategic location near the Coast of Marañón River and the jungle. The Chavín de Huántar served as a ceremonial center, where the ancient people came together for worship. The Chavín de Huántar holds a geographical, historical and religious significance because of its tremendous influence on the Ancient Chavin culture. It is located where the Mosna River merges with the Huanchecsa River. This allows the Chavins easy transport, but access is very limited for visitors. Consequently, it is the perfect site for crop cultivation such as maize and potatoes. The ancient Chavins also started domesticating llamas to help and assist in carrying load and crops. INDIGENOUS AMERICAS Indigenous Americas Nose ornament, Chavin de Huantar. Northern highlands, Peru. Chavin. 900-200 BCE. Wearing a nose ring was a mark of social distinction and would have enhanced the flashy appearance of the wearer. Nose (as well as ear ornaments) were not exclusive to men. Women and priestesses wore them for public and ceremonial appearances. Realize that these nose rings covered all the way to the chin in most cases, and stretched from cheek to cheek…..made from gold, or an alloy. These ornaments were beautiful with intricate designs but they REALLY heavy! INDIGENOUS AMERICAS Indigenous Americas Relief sculpture, Chavin de Huantar. Northern highlands, Peru. Chavin. 900-200 BCE. Relief sculpture depicting jaguars covers the ruins of a stairway at Chavin de Huantar, Peru. Chavin de Huantar is believed to be the center of the Chavin culture, the earliest civilisation of the Andes. INDIGENOUS AMERICAS Indigenous Americas Relief sculpture, Chavin de Huantar. Northern highlands, Peru. 900-200 BCE. INDIGENOUS AMERICAS Indigenous Americas Lanzon Stela, Chavin de Huantar. Northern highlands, Peru. Chavin. 900-200 BCE. Here shown poking through a hole in the roof of its chamber, the Lanzon has been interpreted variously as a principal deity of Chavin, an oracle with the power to speak (thanks to the hole in the roof), a symbol of trade, fertility, dualism, and humankind's interaction with nature, or any combination of these. What is evident is that the 4.5m (15 feet)-tall obelisk is a painstakingly carved piece of white granite in a roughly lance-like shape, and depicts a human- feline hybrid with claws, writhing snakes for hair and eyebrows, fangs curved sideways in a smile (thus the nickname 'Smiling God'), and one arm raised while the other is lowered. Other carvings at Chavin de Huantar depict Lanzon clutching a Strombus shell in one hand and a Spondylus shell in the other, which has been interpreted as a possible reference to fertility and the duality of the sexes. INDIGENOUS AMERICAS Indigenous Americas Lanzon Stela, Chavin de Huantar (detail). Northern highlands, Peru. Chavin. 900-200 BCE. Here shown poking through a hole in the roof of its chamber, the Lanzon has been interpreted variously as a principal deity of Chavin, an oracle with the power to speak (thanks to the hole in the roof), a symbol of trade, fertility, dualism, and humankind's interaction with nature, or any combination of these. What is evident is that the 4.5m (15 feet)-tall obelisk is a painstakingly carved piece of white granite in a roughly lance-like shape, and depicts a human- feline hybrid with claws, writhing snakes for hair and eyebrows, fangs curved sideways in a smile (thus the nickname 'Smiling God'), and one arm raised while the other is lowered. Other carvings at Chavin de Huantar depict Lanzon clutching a Strombus shell in one hand and a Spondylus shell in the other, which has been interpreted as a possible reference to fertility and the duality of the sexes. INDIGENOUS AMERICAS Indigenous Americas Layout plan, Chavin de Huantar. Northern highlands, Peru. Chavin. 900-200 BCE. INDIGENOUS AMERICAS Indigenous Americas Mesa Verde cliff dwellings. Montezuma County, Colorado. Anasazi. 450-1300. Sandstone. The cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde are some of the most notable and best preserved in the North American Continent. Sometime during the late 1190s, after primarily living on the mesa top for 600 years, many Ancestral Puebloans began living in pueblos they built beneath the overhanging cliffs. The structures ranged in size from one-room storage units to villages of more than 150 rooms. While still farming the mesa tops, they continued to reside in the alcoves, repairing, remodeling, and constructing new rooms for nearly a century. INDIGENOUS AMERICAS Indigenous Americas Mesa Verde cliff dwellings. Montezuma County, Colorado. Anasazi. 450-1300. Sandstone. INDIGENOUS AMERICAS Indigenous Americas Architectural complex, Yaxchilan. Chiapas, Mexico. Maya. 725 CE. Limestone. Yaxchilán is a gorgeous Maya site located on the riverbank of the Usumacinta. The site lies on top of a horseshoe meander on the Mexican side of the important river that divides Mexico from Guatemala. Today, the site can only be reached by boat. Yaxchilán was founded in the 5th century CE and reached its maximum splendor in the 8th century CE. Famous for its more than 130 stone monuments, among which include carved lintels and stelae depicting images of royal life, the site also represents one of the most elegant example of classic Maya architecture. INDIGENOUS AMERICAS Indigenous Americas Architectural complex, Yaxchilan. Guatemala Chiapas, Mexico. Maya. 725 CE. Limestone. Yaxchilán is a gorgeous Maya site located on the riverbank of the Usumacinta. The site lies on top of a horseshoe meander on the Mexican side of the important river Mexico that divides Mexico from Guatemala. Today, the site can only be reached by boat. Yaxchilán was founded in the 5th century A.D and reached its maximum splendor in the 8th century A.D. Famous for its more than 130 stone monuments, among which include carved lintels and stelae depicting images of royal life, the site also represents one of the most elegant example of classic Maya architecture. INDIGENOUS AMERICAS Indigenous Americas Yaxchilan, Structure 33. Chiapas, Mexico. Maya. 725 CE. Limestone. Still in the Central acropolis, Structure 33 represents the height of Yaxchilán architecture and its Classic development. This temple, the most preserved building of the complex, was probably constructed by the major ruler Bird Jaguar IV or dedicated to him by his son. The temple, a large room with three doorways, decorated with stucco motifs, overlooks the main plaza and stands on a excellent observation point toward the river. The real masterpiece of this building is its roof, almost intact, composed by a high crest, or roof comb, with a frieze and niches with remains of a human figure. The second hieroglyphic stairway leads to the front of this structure. INDIGENOUS AMERICAS Indigenous Americas Yaxchilan, Structure 33. Chiapas, Mexico. Maya. 725 CE. Limestone. INDIGENOUS AMERICAS Indigenous Americas Lintel 25, Structure 23, Yaxchilan. Chiapas, Mexico. Maya. 725 CE. Limestone. Buildings in Yaxchilán were known for their elaborate decorations, particularly the sculptural door lintels that were commissioned by the city’s rulers and are believed to document their history. A lintel is the horizontal beam that spans the opening between two upright architectural elements. This particular lintel (referred to as lintel 25) was located above the central doorway of a palace structure (structure 23) in Yaxchilán. An inscription on the lintel reads October 20, 681, the date of Lord Shield Jaguar II’s accession to throne as documented in other monuments. It is believed that creation of the lintel, as well as the ritual portrayed in its carving, were associated with this event. INDIGENOUS AMERICAS Indigenous Americas Architectural complex – Structure 40, Yaxchilan. Chiapas, Mexico. Maya. 725 CE. Limestone. Structure 40 is flanked by structures 39 and 41 in the South Acropolis. It has been restored and has three doorways opening onto a single room and the remains of a perforated roof comb. The room has the remains of murals that once covered all the interior walls.. INDIGENOUS AMERICAS Indigenous Americas Great Serpent Mound, Southern Ohio. Mississippian (Eastern Woodlands). c.1070. Earthwork / effigy mound. Serpent Mound is a man-made earthwork in the shape of a long, uncoiling serpent nearly 1,200 feet long and about 5 feet high. Created between 1000-1500 AD for unknown purposes, it is now protected in a state park in Ohio. Two different cultures contributed to the Serpent Mound site. The earliest is the Adena people, who lived in this area from about the 6th century BC to the early 1st century AD. Based on stone axes and other artifacts, we know that the Adena built the two conical burial mounds near the serpent. Other Adena burial mounds in the area indicate that they buried their dead in log tombs or clay-lined basins; important individuals were painted in red ocher and buried with valuable grave goods. INDIGENOUS AMERICAS Indigenous Americas Great Serpent Mound, Southern Ohio. Mississippian (Eastern Woodlands). c.1070. Earthwork / effigy mound. Made of earth, it is formed in the shape of an uncoiling snake about to swallow an egg-shaped oval in its open mouth. The head of the serpent is aligned to the summer solstice sunset and the coils also may point to the winter solstice sunrise and the equinox sunrise.