Mesoamerican Art

Front 1

Back 1

Chacmool, Aztec, 1200
chacmools took on different deity forms, was a receptical for for sacrificial objects, such as a heart etc.

Front 2

Back 2

Goddess of Childbirth, 1200, Aztec
small figurine meant to help women survive childbirth

Front 3

Back 3

Coatlicue, Aztec, 1200
Serpent heads, kinda scary and fearsome, has a necklace made of heads and hands and a skull belt
but has breasts, sign of nurture, shows her as strong and protective, but also nurturing and mothering
almost all of her features are symbolic of sacrificial death, idea of death/rebirth

Front 4

Back 4

Coyolxuaqui, Aztec, 1200
altar stone, at the base of Huitzlipochtli's temple, bodies/blood would roll down temple, onto this relief
each time a body falls, reneacts her own death, relief shows her dismembered after her own death, circular stone, speaks to the rolling
she=goddess of moon, is extinguished each day by the sun/by the shadow of the temple
super horror vacuii

Front 5

Back 5

Impersonator of Xipe Totec, Aztec, 1200
god of crops/agriculture
depicts a ritual that was performed where flayed skin was worn until it rotted away
symbolized new birth

Front 6

Back 6

Ballcourt Rubbing, Maya, 250
Shows a game, member of the losing team is beheaded, shows the sacrificer is holding the head, and blood in shape of serpents and vines are coming out of the head
and there are hallucinogenic flowers all around

Front 7

Back 7

Dedication Stone, Aztec, 1200
Blood letting stone relief,

Front 8

Back 8

Maya Ball Court, Maya/Olmec, 250
game, olmecs played too, hard rubber ball,
following an age old story of deities who played, divine game, either losing or winning team died,
very agressive
not a uniform set of rules or court

Front 9

Back 9

Bonampak, Maya, 250
Wall painting, one of few murals surviving
inauguration of a new ruler
composition leads up to him, everyone has jaguar skins, enemies and slaves down at the bottom with less upright/rigid/weaker forms

Front 10

Back 10

Lady Xoc, Maya, 250
relief about the divine connections/authority of leaders, shows her doing a blood letting sacrifice (thorns through tongue) for the birth of her child
next scene shows her having a vision
horror vacuii
they believed negative space was evil

Front 11

Back 11

Temple of Jaguar, Maya, 250
at Tikal
very lush area unlike teotichuacan, temples rise above canopy of the rainforest
temples=taller and narrower, very difficult steep stairs, like a slow deliberate climb, very transcendental
has a tomb at the bottom
9 levels---> nine levels of the underworld

Front 12

Back 12

Ceremonial Axe, Olmec, 1500 bce
made of precious stones, very very durable and valuable, sharp on bottom
divet on top= like the soft spot on a baby's head, believed to be a supernatural spot, entrance for spirits/divine
jaguar+human

Front 13

Back 13

Colossal Heads, Olmec, 1500 bce
huge, powerful rulers
helmet shows military power
displayed as signs of lineage, very distinct, individual portraits.
Also a type of protection

Front 14

Back 14

Talud Tablero Technique, Teotihuacan, 250
slope then ledge, way that they built temples

Front 15

Back 15

Temple of Kukulkan, Maya, 250
Chitzen Itza, extensive complex, less scary/steep

Front 16

Back 16

Manuscript drawing of Tenochitlan, 1200, Aztec
main city, had a moat around it
Aztecs were serious conquerers, very scary and violent
odd persepctive, many different vantage points
emphasizes the people, they're huge, and their identities
shows Tlaloc and Huitzlipochtli

Front 17

Back 17

Temple of Sun and Moon, 250, Teotihuacan,
very wide sloping temples, two identical temples, oriented to sun in solstice, very aligned with earth, mimics the mountains around them
used for sacrifice

Front 18

Back 18

Temple of Quetzalcoatl, Teotihuacan, 250
huge building, to a major god,
the feathered serpent= sustenance, rebirth, sacrifice, fertility, agriculture etc
basically creator