The indigenous cultures of ancient Mesoamerica created a variety of highly sophisticated sculptures in different styles and materials, both as reliefs and as sculptures in-the-round. Many of these sculptures represent their religious beliefs, embodying the Mesoamerican pantheon of gods, while others depict the elite members of the nobility. Later Mestizo (mixed Hispanic and … [Read more...] about Images of Mesoamerican Elites and Deities in Reproduction: Researched by Whitney Mosley
Cultures throughout Mesoamerica produced ceramic figurines from the earliest periods through the time of contact with Europeans. These figurines depicted people of all levels of status, from common people to rulers, and the figurines also depicted deities. The study of ceramic figurines also illustrates how depictions of deities changed and developed through time. The … [Read more...] about Mesoamerican Sculptures in Reproduction: Researched by Jordan Seyer
The southern central Mexican state of Oaxaca is the home to the Zapotec and Mixtec, indigenous cultures whose artisans have both preserved ancient traditions and have developed vibrant new artforms. Grey plumbate wares have been known since Precolumbian times, and from this ancient tradition developed a prominent form of art known as barro negro, or Oaxacan black pottery. … [Read more...] about Oaxacan Black Pottery: Researched by Emma Schupbach
Animalitos, along with the fantasy figures known Alebrijes, are Mexican folk art sculptures produced by the Zapotec culture artisans of the Oaxaca region. While these sculptures originated as folk art that people carved for amusement, in the 1980s the figures became popular in the tourist trade, and the Oaxacan artisans developed many different forms to appeal to visitors … [Read more...] about Zapotec Animalito Sculptures: Researched by Hannah Ferguson
The production of Mesoamerican textiles dates back to about 1000 B.C.E., as shown by textile impressions in ancient pottery sherds. Although actual ancient samples of textiles have not survived the tropical climate of Mesoamerica, Pre-Columbian sculptural depictions and paintings of figures wearing woven costume indicate that textiles were decorative, highly valued, … [Read more...] about Contemporary Mesoamerican Textiles: Researched by Clara Komrosky-Licata