The ancient South American civilizations had their ways of creating their own personalized ways for sculpting totems, votives, and jewelry. In this gallery, there are examples from the Aztec and Mayan civilizations; between the two there is easily a way to distinguish the difference between the two, mainly due to the amount of detail between the two.
Mask, possibly of Tlaloc, 1350–1521, From the collection of: Dallas Museum of Art
This mask is an excellent example of the amount of detail that the Aztec people put into creating this mask. The use of the different colored stones creates a sense of depth an dcreativity.
Tripod Bowl, Aztec, 1200 - 1519, From the collection of: The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
This bowl is a unique way of creating a standing bowl and how they equally distributed the balance between each of the three legs and making the bowl stable, with it being made of wood is unique as well
Ceremonial Pitcher Depicting Xochipilli, Aztec, 15th-16th century, From the collection of: The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
This pottery piece is very different because of the sculpture on the front, where in fact it looks to be a pitcher for gathering or holding water for the tribe.
Knotted Rattlesnake, Aztec, 1100-1520 (Postclassic), From the collection of: The Walters Art Museum
This sculpture of a snake is compact but seems like it would be heavy as can be. It is simplistic, compact, and different from any other pieces that are more detailed while this one is simply structure
Diosa de Tlalmanalco, unknown, 1325/1521, From the collection of: Museo Nacional de Antropología, México
This piece seems to be eery with how the light is reflecting off of the eyes; making the sculpture as whole seem slightly demeneted.
Effigy Deity Head Vessel, Aztec, 1200 - 1519 AD, From the collection of: The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
This piece looks as if it were to be a votif for inside a family's dwelling. Between the black and the gold surrounding the whole piece it gives the feeling that it would be heavy.
Poison Bottle, Unknown, Pre-Columbian, Mayan, 200 BCE - 200 CE, From the collection of: The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum
The Mayan culture was based more on sacrifices than from any of the other Mesoamerican cultures. This poison bottle is a fine example- there isn't that much detail, but any from the tribe would know what lies within the bottle
Globular Vessel with Loop Handles, Unknown, Pre-Columbian, Mayan, 500 BCE, From the collection of: The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum
This pot isn't as embellished as any other examples of Mesoamerican pieces, but it does show a fine example to the use of simplistic design.
Standing Figure of a Lord, Unknown Artist, Maya culture, Jaina Island, Campeche, About 750, From the collection of: Birmingham Museum of Art
Lidded effigy container in the form of a diving god, Maya, 1300/1550, From the collection of: Princeton University Art Museum
Credits: All media
This user gallery has been created by an independent third party and may not represent the views of the institutions whose collections include the featured works or of Google Arts & Culture.
