Knowra Pre-Columbian art Pre-Columbian art Pre-Columbian art comprises visual and material works made by Indigenous societies in the Americas before European contact, from monumental architecture and sculpture to ceramics, textiles, and metalwork.
Mesoamerican art : Art made by societies in Mesoamerica, including Olmec, Maya, and Mexica traditions. Its cities, sculpture, manuscripts, and ritual objects form a major regional body of Pre-Columbian art.
Maya stelae : Carved stone monuments erected by Maya kingdoms, often recording rulers, dates, and political events. Their inscriptions and portraits show how public art asserted dynastic power.
Lost-wax casting : A metal-casting method in which a wax model is replaced by molten metal in a mold. Goldworkers in parts of the Americas used casting to create complex metal forms.
Indigenous American art : Art made by Indigenous peoples of North, Central, and South America across different historical periods. This broader category includes traditions that continued after European contact.
Andean art : Art produced in the Andes, from ancient coastal cultures to the Inca Empire. Its textiles, ceramics, metalwork, and stone architecture reveal a distinct South American tradition.
Maya codices : Folded-screen books made by Maya scribes, containing hieroglyphic writing and painted imagery. These rare surviving manuscripts joined artistic skill to calendrical and ritual knowledge.
Backstrap loom : A loom held under tension between a fixed point and a strap worn by the weaver. This portable tool enabled the production of finely patterned Indigenous textiles.
Colonial Latin American art : Art made in Latin America under European colonial rule, shaped by Indigenous, European, and African traditions. It marks the historical shift from the pre-contact period to societies transformed by colonization.
Maya art : Art created by Maya societies, including carved monuments, painted ceramics, architecture, and manuscripts. Maya works preserve extensive inscriptions and images of rulers, deities, and ritual life.
Mesoamerican ballgame : A ritualized ball sport played across Mesoamerica, represented in art and associated with ceremonial settings. Ballcourt images and objects connect artistic forms to performance and religious practice.
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