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INDIGENOUS AMERICAS

(1000 B.C.E - 1980 C.E.)

CONTENT: What do you see?

FORM: The details (what you see more exactly). How the artist delivers the content.

CONTEXT: Everything NOT observable.

FUNCTION: The intended purpose of the work.

Assignments:

READINGS: TBD

 

SNAPSHOT SHEET:  

 

Indigenous Americas

Unit Sheet:

APAH 250 Images:

(From earlier Prehistoric unit):

3.  Camelid sacrum in the shape of a canine

10. Tlatilco female figurine

Chavin:

153. Chavin de Huantar

         - Lanzon Stela

         - relief sculpture

         - nose ornament

Mayan:

155. Yaxchilan

         - Lintel 25, Structure 23

         - Structure 33

 

Teotihaucan - City of Teotihaucan

         - Pyramid of the Sun

         - Pyramid of the Moon

         - Temple of the Feathered Serpent

Aztec:

157. Templo Mayor (main temple)

         - The Coyolxauhqui Stone

         - Calendar Stone

         - Olmec-style mask
158. Motecuhzoma II - Ruler's feather    

         headdress

Inka:
159. City of Cusco plan

         - curved Inka wall

         - walls at Saqsa Waman

160. Maize cob
161. City of Machu Picchu

         - observatory

         - Intihuatana Stone

162. All-T'oqapu tunic

North America:

Southwest:

154. Mesa Verde cliff dwellings

166. Black-on-black ceramic vessel

Eastern Woodlands:
156. Great Serpent Mound

163. Bandolier Bag

Plains:

165. Painted Elk Hide

Northwest Coastal:

164. Transformation Mask

Indigenous Americas

Unit Sheet:

North American Cultural Regions.jpg
North American Cultural Regions
(click to enlarge)

Major Civilizations

  • Olmec (1200-400 BCE) Mexico

  • Teotihuacan (1 BCE- 800 CE) Near Mexico City

  • Mayan (300-900 CE)Belize, Gautemala, Honduras, Yucatan

  • Nazca (200-600 CE) Coastal Peru

  • Moche (1-700 CE) Coastal Peru

  • Anasazi (550-1400 CE) American Southwest

  • Mississippian (800-1500 CE) Eastern United States

  • Aztecs (1400-1521) Central Mexico

  • Inca (1400-1521) Peru (no writing but a kept a record system, khipu)

  • NW Coast Native American (18th c- present) Pacific NW

BIG IDEA 1: Artists manipulate materials and ideas to create an aesthetic object, act, or event.                                   1. What is art and how is it made?             

                                  Materials (Environment/Geography)             

                                  Art making techniques             

                                  Why make art? (Function)

BIG IDEA 2: Art making is shaped by tradition and change.       

                          1.  Why and how does art change?             

                          2.  What features/changes of a tradition do you see?             

                          3.  Why was the art influential?

BIG IDEA 3: Interpretations of art are variable.         

                          1.  How do we describe our thinking about art?             

                                  What are the formal qualities and content of the art?             

                                  What is the context of the art? (context = differing interpretations)             

                                  What attributes of a work can we attribute to other works of art?                                                           What are the similarities and differences?

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

A very special thank you to Dr. Robert Coad for his infinite wisdom, amazing workshops, gift of materials and time, and years of support.

Another special thank you to Ms. Marsha Russell for her devotion to teaching and generosity in sharing her materials and knowledge with all of us.

Thank you to Valerie Park for her inspirational AP Art History web site that guided the creation of this site.

And finally, if you choose to use any of the images or information from this site, I ask that you kindly give me credit.  Thank you for visiting!

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