AP Art History - The Indigenous Americas (part 1 of 3)

Summary

This lecture series explores the indigenous Americas, focusing on human migration, agricultural societies, and diverse art forms. It covers civilizations from the Chavin to the Maya, discussing their architectural styles, materials used, and cultural significance. The series also delves into the Mississippian culture's mound-building techniques and the Great Serpent Mound's possible meanings.

Takeaways

• 🌏 The script discusses human migration to the Americas during the Ice Age, highlighting the use of land bridges and the late human settlement of North and South America.
• 🏞️ It emphasizes the flourishing of agricultural societies in the Americas, particularly in equatorial regions, and the diverse forms of art and technology, including astronomy, that developed in these societies.
• 🏛 The lecture outlines the differences in art and architecture between sedentary cultures that built large, heavy structures and nomadic hunter-gatherer societies that used portable, non-refined materials.
• 🛍️ It mentions the extensive trade networks established by some cultures, such as the Aztecs, to obtain materials from afar, as well as the local materials used by others.
• 🗺️ The script provides a broad overview of the civilizations in North and South America, noting the coexistence and cultural crossover of these civilizations, especially in resource-rich areas.
• 🏺 It describes the early American civilizations as mysterious to science, with much early art associated with ritual and burial, often made from durable materials and found in isolated contexts.
• 🐾 The importance of animals in art and culture is highlighted, with motifs combining human and animal imagery, and animals like jaguars, pumas, and snakes holding religious and cultural significance.
• 🗝️ The script discusses the social classes of artists, often commoners, who could achieve a higher status through their skill in creating artwork for the ruling class.
• 🗝️ The Chavin culture of coastal Peru is highlighted, with its influential pilgrimage site and unique architectural and artistic style, including the use of contour rivalry in their sculptures.
• 🐉 The Maya civilization is detailed, with its unique aesthetic in sculpture and architecture, the use of hieroglyphic writing, and the significance of bloodletting rituals in maintaining cosmic order.
• 🏡 The Anasazi or Ancestral Puebloans' cliff dwellings and pueblos are described, emphasizing their strategic locations, agricultural practices, and the social and religious importance of plazas and kivas.

Q & A

What is the significance of land bridges in the context of human migration to the Americas?

Land bridges were crucial during the Ice Age as they allowed people to cross large distances to reach North and South America, which were likely the last places to be populated by humans.

What is the timeline of human migration to the Americas as mentioned in the script?

The script suggests human migration to the Americas occurred over several thousand years, with the earliest civilizations still being somewhat of a mystery to science.

How did agricultural societies in the Americas differ from nomadic hunter-gatherer societies in terms of art and materials used?

Agricultural societies created larger artworks, particularly architecture, using materials like stone and metals, while nomadic hunter-gatherer societies made smaller, portable artworks using non-refined materials with little to no metal.

What types of materials were commonly used by indigenous cultures in the Americas for their art and architecture?

Indigenous cultures used a variety of materials such as obsidian, feathers, animal skins, wood, jade, gold, copper, limestone, amethyst, and granite, as well as resources from animals and plants.

How did the Chavin culture's location influence its architecture and significance?

The Chavin culture was located in the Andes, which provided a strategic location for trade and cultural diffusion. Their architecture, including Chavín de Huántar, was built to accommodate the mountainous topography and served as a pilgrimage site, influencing surrounding regions.

What is the significance of the Lanzón stone in Chavín de Huántar?

The Lanzón stone is a massive sculpture thought to represent the patron god of Chavín de Huántar. It was located deep within the temple, accessible likely only to priests, symbolizing power and prestige.

What is contour rivalry, and how is it used in indigenous American art?

Contour rivalry is an optical illusion where two images share parts or outlines, creating a complex and hidden meaning in art. It was used in indigenous American art to add complexity and was often associated with a sense of elitism, as it was thought to be understood only by priests or the elite.

What is the significance of the Maya civilization's unique aesthetic in sculpture and architecture?

The Maya civilization is known for its unique aesthetic, including continuous lines in sculpture profiles and stepped pyramids that symbolize power and status. Their art often commemorated rulers and used hieroglyphic writing to narrate notable accomplishments.

What role did bloodletting rituals play in Maya culture, and how are they depicted in their art?

Bloodletting rituals in Maya culture were seen as necessary to maintain order and were often performed by members of the royal family. They were depicted in art, such as in Lintel 25 from Structure 23, where Lady Xoc is shown performing a bloodletting ritual, possibly in connection with her husband's ascension to the throne.

What is the significance of the Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings, and how did their location affect their design?

The Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings were strategically built into cliffsides, providing shade, protection, and a hidden living space. Their design included multiple stories, with rooms accessible through windows, doors, and ladders, and faced a central plaza for social and religious activities.

What was the agricultural technique used by the Mississippian cultures, and how did it benefit their farming practices?

The Mississippian cultures used a farming technique involving the 'three sisters': squash, corn, and beans. This method promoted symbiosis and efficiency by preventing weeds, providing structural support for climbing plants, and enhancing nitrogen recruitment in the soil.

What are mound complexes, and what might have been their purpose in Mississippian cultures?

Mound complexes are large earthen structures built by Mississippian cultures, possibly serving as strategic locations for observation and hierarchy representation. Their exact purpose is not well understood, but they may have been used for ceremonial, residential, or agricultural purposes.

What is the Great Serpent Mound, and what are some theories about its meaning or purpose?

The Great Serpent Mound is a large earthwork in the shape of a snake, built by the Fort Ancient culture, possibly influenced by Mississippian mound builders. Theories about its meaning include representation of a snake deity associated with crop fertility, an astronomical phenomenon like an eclipse or comet, or a calendar to determine planting and harvesting times.

Outlines

00:00

🌏 Indigenous Americas: Migration and Cultural Flourishing

This segment introduces a series on the indigenous cultures of the Americas, highlighting the late human migration to North and South America facilitated by land bridges during the Ice Age. It emphasizes the broad spectrum of information to be covered, including the flourishing of agricultural societies in equatorial regions, the diverse art forms, and the technological and scientific advancements, particularly in astronomy. The lecture also touches on the differences between nomadic hunter-gatherer societies and more sedentary civilizations, noting the impact of these lifestyles on the type of art and architecture produced. Materials used in art, such as metals, wood, and jade, are discussed, along with the trade networks established to obtain them. A map is presented to give an overview of the locations and coexistence of various civilizations, setting the stage for a deeper dive into their cultural practices and art.

05:03

🏰 Chavin Culture: Art and Architecture in Ancient Peru

The second paragraph delves into the Chavin culture, which was influential in Andean and South America around 1500 years before the Inca civilization. Chavin de Huantar, a pilgrimage site, played a crucial role in spreading the Chavin artistic style across northwestern South America. The Chavin people were known for their architectural ingenuity, adapting their structures to the natural landscape, such as cliffs and rivers. The temple of Chavin de Huantar, situated at 10,000 feet above sea level, is a notable example of their architecture, featuring jaguar sculptures symbolizing power and prestige. The paragraph also discusses the significance of the Lanzón, a massive stone with a deity figure that combines human and animal elements, and the use of contour rivalry in their art to add complexity and hidden meanings.

10:04

🐍 Serpent Motifs and Chavin Art: Symbolism and Cultural Significance

This segment continues the discussion on the Chavin culture, focusing on the serpent motif prevalent in their art. The serpent is associated with religious and cultural significance in many indigenous American cultures. The architectural features of Chavin de Huantar, such as the temple complex and the Lanzón, are highlighted, emphasizing their alignment with cosmological lines and the strategic positioning along natural waterways. The Lanzón's shape and symbolism, related to successful planting and harvest, are discussed, along with the intricate relief sculptures and nose ornaments found in the ruins. The paragraph also touches on the concept of contour rivalry, an optical illusion used in their art to add complexity and hidden meanings.

15:06

📜 Maya Civilization: Aesthetics and Hieroglyphic Writing

The fourth paragraph shifts focus to the Maya civilization, which occupied the Yucatan Peninsula and surrounding areas. The Maya are known for their unique aesthetic, particularly in sculpture, where figures often have a continuous line from the forehead to the nose. Most sculptures commemorate rulers or those associated with rulers, and many are tied to monuments and architecture. The Maya also developed a hieroglyphic writing system used to narrate the accomplishments of rulers and important historical events. The paragraph introduces the city of Yaxchilan, hidden for centuries and rediscovered using modern technology. Yaxchilan is known for its carved stelae, which provide insights into local history, rituals, and the accomplishments of rulers.

20:08

🏙️ Yaxchilan Architecture: Plazas, Ball Courts, and Stele

This segment provides a detailed look at the architecture of Yaxchilan, a royal Maya city. The city featured a main plaza, ball courts, and numerous carved stelae that narrated local history. The ball court was significant for both recreational and ritual purposes, with games like paktapak played there. The stelae and relief sculptures in Yaxchilan are characterized by crisp outlines and flat backgrounds, creating a sense of depth. The paragraph also discusses the significance of the hieroglyphic inscriptions that surrounded these sculptures, often detailing the ruler's accomplishments and important historical events. The architectural elements, such as roof combs and lintels, are highlighted for their aesthetic and symbolic importance.

25:09

🏡 Anasazi (Ancestral Puebloans): Cliff Dwellings and Agricultural Practices

The sixth paragraph introduces the Anasazi, or Ancestral Puebloans, who lived in the American Southwest. Known for their cliff dwellings, the Anasazi built their structures, called pueblos, into cliffsides, providing strategic advantages and protection from the elements. The paragraph describes the layout of a typical pueblo, with small rooms, windows, and ladders, and the importance of the central plaza for social and religious activities. The Anasazi were agriculturalists, utilizing the area above the mesas for farming and bringing resources down to their cliff dwellings. The paragraph also discusses the engineering of their structures, such as kivas, and the adaptations made to ensure proper ventilation and prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.

30:10

🌱 Mississippian Culture: Mound Builders and Agricultural Innovation

This segment explores the Mississippian culture, which encompassed numerous cultures in the Midwest region of what is now the United States. Known for their mound-building practices, these cultures developed advanced agricultural techniques, such as the 'three sisters' method of growing corn, beans, and squash together. The paragraph discusses the strategic importance of waterways for agriculture and irrigation, and the social hierarchy within these settlements. The city-state of Cahokia is highlighted for its massive mound complexes, which served as both practical and symbolic structures. The Great Serpent Mound, a mystery mound with uncertain purpose, is also discussed, with theories suggesting it may represent a snake, an astrological phenomenon, or even a calendar.

35:11

🐉 Great Serpent Mound: Astronomical and Agricultural Significance

The final paragraph delves deeper into the Great Serpent Mound, a mysterious earthwork that is believed to have been built by the Fort Ancient culture, influenced by the Mississippian mound builders. The mound's purpose remains unclear, but it is speculated to have been a symbol of a snake, possibly related to agricultural fertility or an astronomical phenomenon like an eclipse. The paragraph discusses the mound's construction, which would have been a significant effort, and the various theories surrounding its meaning, including its potential use as a calendar to determine planting and harvesting times. The connection between the mound and the phases of the moon and the summer solstice sunset is also explored.

Keywords

💡Indigenous Americas

Indigenous Americas refers to the native peoples and cultures of the Americas, which existed prior to the arrival of European colonizers. The video script discusses the human migration to the Americas, highlighting the land bridges that facilitated movement during the Ice Age and the flourishing of various agricultural societies, particularly in equatorial regions. This concept is central to understanding the diverse cultural developments across North and South America.

💡Land Bridges

Land bridges are geographical features that connect separate landmasses, allowing for the migration of species and human populations. In the context of the video, land bridges are crucial for understanding how humans likely migrated to the Americas during the Ice Age, as they provided a pathway across what is now the Bering Strait.

💡Agricultural Societies

Agricultural societies are communities that rely on farming and the cultivation of crops as their primary means of subsistence. The script mentions that such societies flourished in regions with favorable climates, especially in the equatorial areas of Central and South America, where different kinds of art and architectural advancements emerged.

💡Sedentary Cultures

Sedentary cultures are those that do not move around frequently and often engage in agriculture and the building of permanent settlements. The script contrasts sedentary cultures with nomadic hunter-gatherer societies, noting that the former tend to create larger, more complex artworks and structures, such as those found in the civilizations of the Americas.

💡Nomadic Hunter-Gatherer Societies

Nomadic hunter-gatherer societies are groups that do not have permanent settlements and rely on hunting, fishing, and gathering for subsistence. The script describes how the art of these societies tends to be smaller, portable, and made from non-refined materials, reflecting their need for mobility.

💡Chavin Culture

The Chavin culture, named after the archaeological site Chavin de Huantar, represents an ancient civilization in the Andean region of South America. The script discusses the influence of this culture, which was significant due to the pilgrimage site that attracted visitors from various regions, leading to the diffusion of Chavin artistic styles.

💡Plaza

In the context of the video, a plaza refers to a public square or open space that often serves as a gathering area for social, ritual, or ceremonial purposes. The script mentions plazas as a common architectural feature in indigenous American civilizations, including the Maya and Chavin cultures.

💡Hieroglyphic Writing System

The hieroglyphic writing system of the Maya civilization is a complex form of writing that uses symbols to represent words or concepts. The script notes that this writing system was used to narrate the accomplishments of rulers and record important historical and cosmological events, and it is still being decoded by archaeologists today.

💡Three Sisters (Agriculture)

The 'Three Sisters' refers to a traditional agricultural method used by the Mississippian and other indigenous cultures, involving the companion planting of corn, beans, and squash. The script explains that this method was efficient and symbiotic, with each plant supporting the growth of the others, which was crucial for the success of these agricultural societies.

💡Mound Builders

Mound builders are cultures known for constructing large earthen mounds, often for ceremonial, residential, or strategic purposes. The script discusses the Mississippian cultures, particularly the Cahokia site, as famous mound builders, with the Great Serpent Mound being a notable example of their work.

💡Kivas

Kivas are circular, underground chambers used by the Ancestral Puebloans for gathering or ritual purposes. The script describes kivas as an integral part of Pueblo architecture, often featuring elaborate construction and ventilation systems to prevent smoke buildup.

Highlights

Human migration to North and South America was likely the last major migration event, facilitated by land bridges during the Ice Age.

Controversy exists over the precise timeline and routes of human migration to the Americas, with multiple waves over thousands of years.

Agricultural societies flourished in equatorial regions, influencing the development of art and architecture in indigenous Americas.

Indigenous American art includes a broad spectrum of materials and techniques, from architecture to metalwork and astronomy.

Nomadic hunter-gatherer societies produced portable art using non-refined materials, contrasting with the larger, heavier works of sedentary cultures.

Materials used in indigenous art varied widely, from local resources to extensive trade networks, as seen with the Aztecs.

The Chavin culture of coastal Peru was influential, with its artistic style diffusing across northwestern South America.

Chavin de Huantar, a pilgrimage site, was a center for the diffusion of the Chavin artistic style through trade and cultural exchange.

The Chavin temple at Chavin de Huantar is notable for its jaguar sculptures and its strategic location flanking rivers.

The Lanzóne, a massive stone at Chavin de Huantar, is thought to represent a patron deity and features a deity with both human and animal elements.

Contour rivalry, an optical illusion technique, was used in Chavin art to add complexity and hidden meanings to images.

The Maya civilization in the Yucatan Peninsula is known for its unique aesthetic, including continuous lines in figure profiles and stepped pyramids.

Mayan art and architecture often commemorate rulers and include hieroglyphic writing systems to narrate notable accomplishments.

Yaxchilan, a royal Mayan city, is known for its carved stelae that provide insight into local history and rituals.

The Anasazi or Ancestral Puebloans of the American Southwest are known for their cliff dwellings and agricultural practices.

The Mississippian cultures, located in the Midwest, developed the 'three sisters' farming technique with squash, corn, and beans.

Mound building was a significant practice among Mississippian cultures, with Cahokia being a notable city-state known for its large mound complexes.

The Great Serpent Mound, a mystery mound, is theorized to represent a snake or other celestial phenomena and may have been used as a calendar.

Transcripts

first of a three-part series on the

indigenous americas

this slide right here something that you

probably recognize from the

prehistoric art lecture this is again

just demonstrating

human migration over the course of

several thousand

years and reminding you that north and

south america were very likely the last

places to be populated by humans

one of the main ways that people are

able to

cross this distance is because of these

land bridges that are emerging during

the ice age

so this is some very broad spectrum

information

on the next three lectures that we're

going to cover so up to 30

000 years ago again this slide says 15

thousand

there's a lot of controversy and wiggle

room in terms of the precise states

where people are coming over there were

actually several waves

of people that were migrating using this

particular method over several thousand

years

but in any case um there were lots of

agricultural societies that flourished

in areas with

climate particularly in the equatorial

regions um

so around where central um and south

america are

there's lots of different kinds of art

that we're seeing in

the indigenous americas we have

architecture we also have the

incorporation of lots of

other media and technology including a

really

comprehensive understanding of science

particularly astronomy

we also have a lot of artworks that are

large and heavy and are used as refined

materials such as metals

which is something that we see in a lot

of these civilizations that are more

sedentary in nature

some cultures are nomadic

hunter-gatherer societies where they are

following their food

these tend to be the communities that

reside in the

plains the ones that are following bison

for example

and now in those cases the artwork tends

to be smaller

using non-refined materials so there's

little no metal and then they're also

portable

which makes sense if you're carrying

everything with you as you're following

your food

of course the more sedentary cultures

are going to be making

larger artworks particularly works of

architecture

and then using materials like stone like

heavier items

that are going to be more sedentary

there's lots and lots of materials

that people in these regions use and it

really depends like

in the particular on the particular

region that you're looking at

there are some communities that use

materials that are more or less

exclusively available within their areas

whereas

others actually establish these really

extensive trade work

networks to obtain materials from far

away we'll see that with the aztecs in

particular

to give you an idea of some of the

materials that are being used we have

obsidian which is a kind of shiny

volcanic glass

feathers animal skins wood jade gold

copper limestone amethyst granite

lots of precious and semi-precious

materials as well as

resources that are coming from animals

and plants

to give you a sense of what particular

areas that we're going to be

covering over the next couple of days i

have

added some things to this map of course

there are many more civilizations than

the ones that i have indicated

um however this map is just intended to

be like a comprehensive list

of these civilizations that they're

covering and their approximate locations

in north and south america just so that

you can root these things in your mind

and figure out where they are

so a lot of these civilizations are

coexisting at any given

time and what actually happens in a lot

of areas particularly ones

that are very resource rich and hot

commodities um there's actually several

successive civilizations that are built

on top of one another

so this kind of complicates the

archaeological record in a lot of cases

and also results in a lot of crossover

between cultures

of course you have to expect that the

evidence from older civilizations is

oftentimes destroyed or it's degraded so

far that we don't really

have any understanding of what it is

anymore

so the earliest american civilizations

are still somewhat of a mystery

to science however a lot of the early

art that has been found is associated

with ritual and or burial which makes

sense because when you have

burial items you are burying them you

are isolating and shielding them from

the elements and they're more likely to

survive

long periods of time a lot of these

items were

made for people that were wealthy or of

high status so there tends to be

a bias and skewing in terms of the items

that survive from those older periods

they tend to be from

um ritual burials as well as items that

are

buried with very wealthy individuals

oftentimes we will see deities and

animals as the subjects of art we will

see lots of

figures and motifs that combine human

and animal imagery

as well there's lots of animals that are

associated

with power and authority in various

mesoamerican cultures

we will see jaguars featured and pumas

featured pretty frequently as well as

snakes

these are animals that are um that

occupy a specific

like religious and cultural significance

in a lot of the cultures that we cover

we also have um architecture that is

produced in

more sedentary agricultural societies

oftentimes these works of architecture

are used for ritual residential

and public purposes so there's lots of

buildings that are

intended to serve as meeting places or

ritual spaces or places where people are

living

in terms of like social classes of

artists in most cases

artists were commoners and but a lot of

them could escape menial labor

if they were appointed to state projects

and workshops so they could

kind of be in a class of their own if

they were

a person who had a specific skill set

and was able to create artwork for

people

in the ruling class for example

one of the first cultures that we'll be

covering for this unit is the chavin

so the chavin occupied coastal peru and

some of the inlands

around 1500 years before they inca

civilization

um cropped up in more or less the same

region

the chavin were extremely influential in

andy and south america

so in this region right here this is

where the andes are

which is this mountain range that flanks

the western coast more or less of south

america

one of the um reasons that they were so

influential is because chavin de juantar

which is the pilgrimage site and kind of

like the

the center of the chavin people was

visited by pilgrims

from lots of regions around the area and

what they would do is that they would

purchase

wares in javin de juantar and then bring

them back to their

own localities so there was this um

diffusion that was happening over

several centuries where you had

this artistic style that originated in

this capital

diffusing to other parts of

northwestern-ish

south america so javin culture is named

after its main archaeological site

um we don't know what they call

themselves like in the archaeological

record

like there's not really indications of

what they named themselves but they're

named

basically by archaeologists after this

particular site

there is archaeological evidence that

they occupied many areas and climate

zones in modern day peru

including the coastline as well as these

very high altitude mountainous regions

the capital chavin de guantara is

actually around 10 000

feet above sea level which is pretty

remarkable

a lot of times due to necessity the

architecture

from the civilization is somewhat

retrofitted to the topography

that means that it is built to

accommodate

the location in which it was made so if

there is a cliffside they'll often take

advantage of the cliffs

to provide some support to the structure

and we see this in a lot of other

meso and south american cultures as well

there's also lots of buildings that

flank rivers

or natural waterways and then they

oftentimes have plazas that are facing

these optimal views

they're putting buildings in places

where there is some sort

of aesthetic significance or

there is this high or hallowed ground

there's lots of figures

in the compositions that are created by

the chavin culture

and then there's also lots of these kind

of like hybridized human animal figures

a lot of the work we also see is

symmetrical or near symmetrical so there

is

there's a lot of bilateral symmetry that

is used and the primary

style that is used to create these

sculptures is by polishing a rock or

flattening the surface and then carving

lines into it

so the style is relatively simple in

comparison to some of the styles that we

see

emerging later particularly with the

maya culture

that doesn't mean that they're not

complex though and you'll see in a

moment

how complex they can get

so this is our artwork for chavin it's

called

and the primary thing that you should be

focusing on for this artwork

is the temple so as i mentioned

previously the temple is about 10 000

feet above sea level and about 200 feet

tall

it's adorned with jaguar sculptures at

regular intervals that pop

up the oftentimes jaguars they're

they're apex predators they're at the

top of the food chain they're oftentimes

regarded as symbols of power and

prestige

we'll see in the maya culture that a lot

of rulers have actually named themselves

after um jaguars

here's an example of one of those jaguar

head motifs right here

this was the religious capital of the

chavin people and it was

a pilgrimage site as i mentioned

previously

there were lots of pilgrims that came

from around the area of like a hundred

mile radius

that came to this site and probably made

offerings to the gods

um and were able to bring back wares

from this site to their own homes

what you'll notice when you look at this

complex is that it's

flanking a river right here there's also

another one that's intersecting right

here and then the sides of the building

are or are oriented along the four

cardinal directions

this is something that we'll see a lot

in indigenous american architecture

there is

almost an obsession with alignment

with along like cosmological lines or

along like north south eastern western

axis

there's a lot of speculation in the

archaeological community

that this was very intentional that they

did this so

um one of the reasons that the site was

visited so frequently was because it was

one of the few

breaks in the andes where people could

get from the western coast

um of the andes to the east coast and

into the areas like brazil

so um this is one of those main

corridors that people are able to use to

get from one part of the continent to

another so you can imagine that it would

be a point where a lot of people aren't

meeting it's a sort of

bottleneck or stopover point so there

were two main building phases to chavin

de juantars temple

there was the old temple which is this

complex over here there's lots of these

subterranean tunnels that run throughout

the old temple

there's still a lot of speculation as to

what the particular purpose of those

tunnels were there is some evidence

that the tunnels may have been used

acoustically to project the voice of a

priest

or somebody in the temple out into the

courtyard or plaza right here

and that would have been like the word

of the god god's being communicated to

the people

there's also um a series of tunnels that

leads to this massive

stone called the lanzone which i'll talk

about in just a moment

one of the other kind of trends that

we'll see in um

indigenous american architecture is the

plaza

so the plaza is a structure that is

usually

some sort of gathering area um

in most cases it is a ritual space in

some cases it is actually

a location where people play like

ritually significant

games or engage in rituals

so this is the lanson right here there's

actually a hidden entrance in the old

temple complex that

leads to a couple of tunnels and then

those tunnels eventually converge

on the lanzone right here so it's

difficult to give you a sense of how

large the lanzone is it's about 15 feet

high

and it's shaped like a blade so it's

relatively

flat on both sides and this is one of

those sides right here and if you were

to

take the relief sculpture and flatten it

out it would look

like this this is the deity of the

lanzone right here

so it is thought that this is the the

like patron god of chavinte juanta

this statue was not something that was

widely available

to the public it was very deep

underground

it was in a location that not a lot of

people would have been able to access

it's theorized that

it was probably just priests that were

able to access this location

so a lot of the the name is

somewhat misleading lanzone means large

spear

or lance in spanish however the

the the the stone itself actually more

closely resembles a digging stick that

is used in highland architecture so an

item that is used to till the soil

so there's this connection to successful

planting and harvest that is implied

in the shape of this particular stone

there's also a couple of other motifs

when you look at the figure itself

um that are suggesting a godly status

for one thing he

this figure is looking up so towards the

heavens there's also one hand pointing

up and then there's one hand pointing

down

you'll also notice that there are

features on this

this deity right here that are combining

both human and animal elements for one

thing we can see that the figure is

bipedal it's standing on two legs

most animals in this region are

quadripedal they stand on four legs so

this is certainly a human element

we also see these very human-like hands

and feet

but the claws are something that you

would see like on a jaguar

same thing with the face right here

these are

these kind of tusks that are sticking

out or something that are closer to what

you would see on a jaguar

there's also these snake motifs that are

used

in the upper regions right here and

along the belt

again snakes are a very common motif in

indigenous american art

we will see them over and over again and

i'll explain why a little bit later

but we see the snakes here being used as

hair and eyebrows

so one of the terms that will come up

once or twice in this unit is contour

rivalry

so contour rivalry is a fancy name for

an optical illusion in which two images

share parts or outlines

so in this image for example we have

these this eyes right here and then we

have a nose

and then a mouth but if you turn it

upside down

then these eyes could also go to this

nose and this mouth right here

so this is something that is intended to

add complexity

and hidden meaning to pieces oftentimes

this would have been

a way for priests to kind of create like

a sense of elitism

where it's like oh it's not possible for

a typical person to understand this

image because it's so complex

there's a couple of other pieces that

are associated with chavin de juantar in

the ap curriculum

this is a relief sculpture so this was

found in

some the ruins of a stairway right here

we see this

shallow relief right here again that

same sort of

style that we're seeing in the lonzon

right here where it's a stone that's

been polished more or less flat with

some lines

and sized in relief right here so we're

seeing some jaguar motifs right here

um some jaguars in profile and then

there's also

again this kind of contour rivalry where

these jaguar heads meeting

in profile in the middle could be one

kind of central jaguar head

and then we have a couple of snakes over

here

here we are more snakes this is a nose

ornament

there are several nose ornaments of this

type that were found in chauvin de

juantar and in fact when you look at

indigenous american art and architecture

as a whole nose ornaments come up pretty

frequently

it's one of those those sorts of trends

that is

pretty consistent at least in central

and south america

so these kinds of nose ornaments were

worn by both men and women and were

usually

symbols of status they are made of gold

which is a precious material

so you would have had to been a person

of means to afford to commission one of

these things

um so they were held in place in the

in this top section right here either

they would be pinched clothes or

a person would have a piercing and then

we have the snake motif on either side

here

just like we saw in the lanzone we have

this

upward facing gaze as well as this

upward facing

motion of the snakes and these kind of

curling motifs right here

everything is very circular and intended

to represent kind of like the undulating

body of the snake

here's a couple of other pre-columbian

nose rings because

i always get questions from students

asking like what do the other ones look

like

like this one just has like a bunch of

spiders in it which is fantastic

like look at the degree of detail like

amazing so those of you who are in

jewelry this year

um some ideas for you

alrighty so now we're going to be moving

on to the maya civilization

so the maya occupied what is now

referred to as the yucatan peninsula and

the surrounding area so this is

modern day like south eastern mexico and

guatemala

so mayan figures have a pretty unique

aesthetic

oftentimes when you look at the profiles

of the figures you have this one

continuous

line between the top of the forehead and

the bottom of the nose

in most like humans like anatomically

there is a dip

that goes right here and then continues

on this way

this is just one of those aesthetically

pleasing

elements that is that one of those

aesthetic valuing things that is seen a

lot in the maya culture

there's actually some evidence as well

that

people in high society actually bound

boards to their infants faces in order

to achieve this sort of effect

to shape the skull in a way that was

aesthetically pleasing

this is actually present in several meso

and south american cultures

so most mayan sculpture and especially

the pieces that we're seeing in the

curriculum

are tied to monuments and architecture

from the records that we have and what

has been discovered thus far

most sculptures are commemorating rulers

or people who

are associated with rulers and this

makes sense because they would be the

people who have the resources to

commission

these oftentimes very intricate relief

sculptures

there's also lots of stepped pyramids in

maya architecture or may see that trend

continue over to the aztecs we'll see

that in a couple of days when we cover

tenochtitlan

um large pyramids word oftentimes serve

as symbols of power and status we again

have this

focus on elevation and culture where the

taller something is or the bigger

something is the more high radically

important it is so it stands to reason

that the tallest and largest structures

are the most

important in any given complex

we see plazas in maya architecture as

well so here's the plaza here

and there's actually a ball court right

here so ball courts had

like recreational and ritual

significance in a lot of central and

south american cultures

um the game in i believe the maya

civilization was called paktapak and it

involved using

your body parts other than your hands

and your feet to get a ball through a

tiny little hoop

so a lot of the relief sculptures that

you see

have these crisp outlinings and they

don't have that much

three-dimensional modeling they're

relatively flat there's usually a

foreground

that is brought forward and then the

background is carved out of the stone

and recessed back a little bit and that

creates a little bit of a cast shadow

and brings these

figures forward one of the things that

you might also notice when you look at

these images

are these lines of symbols right here so

this is

actually a hieroglyphic writing system

so the maya

actually had a writing system that they

used to narrate notable accomplishments

of their rulers and then oftentimes to

tell like important times in history

cosmological

events and so on so this this glyphic

system is still being decoded and

archaeologists have actually been able

to figure out what a lot of these

lentils say which is super cool

so our artwork for the maya civilization

is yaki lan

this was a royal mayan city that was

hidden for several hundred years

this is something that happens pretty

frequently in this region because

there's such

dense vegetation um there's actually

been a lot of this really cool

um stuff that's been happening recently

where there have been

drone there's been drone footage and ai

technologies that is used to figure out

areas where

mayan civilizations might have once

existed or settlements

so there's there's this rediscovery of a

lot of these

particular complexes that are happening

in this dense forest region nowadays

what you'll notice about this particular

complex is that it is

located in the um this portion of a

river right here the

the usu river right here kind of

loops back on itself right here

this is really a fantastically

advantageous

strategic location the river is wide

enough that it would be really

inconvenient

to try to get from one side to the other

there's also a pretty significant

elevation like this

this map right here shows elevations um

so the meters is like

meters above sea level right here and

you notice that they have chosen areas

that are relatively high

to build a lot of the more important

buildings so this

center right here is probably the

tallest and then we also have this

complex over here

and then important parts of this complex

right here are also relatively tall in

comparison to the others

so um this particular complex consisted

of a main plaza surrounded by several

other buildings

and then other kind of complexes that

were on the fringes it was added to over

several generations by lots of different

rulers that

occupied this area this was a really

strategic location as well because

of the not only the river right here

blocking entrance on this side

but also this bottleneck was that was

happening right here so you can imagine

that it would be really difficult to

come in

and invade this area because there was

this choke off point that prevented a

lot of people from being able to access

this area at once

so yakshilan is known particularly for

its numerous carved stele or stones

and a lot of them are narratives of

local history they depict deities

praise the accomplishments of rulers and

actually give

us a lot of insight into the particulars

of rituals that people would engage in

all right so there's a couple of

structures that are important to

remember for yakshilan we have structure

40 and structure 33

which are pretty similar in their um

physical appearance and method of

construction they're basically

one long cobalt vault

so think of taking like a semi-circle

and then making it into a tunnel so

there are three

entrances to each of these edifices

right here

there's a couple of humans here for

scale to give you a sense of how large

these buildings are

so they're eventual they're essentially

these relatively small

like interior spaces and they're made to

look taller because

of these structures that are built on

top of the building was called roof

combs

so these were almost purely aesthetic in

purpose they're intended to make things

look taller

again when you invest a lot of time and

materials into making something look

bigger and it doesn't really serve a

purpose

there has to be some sort of

significance to the fact that it's so

large

so these are roof combs and in a lot of

cases there's additional adornments and

relief sculptures that are placed

in the areas on the roof comb so there

was a statue right here

of a humanoid figure it's very likely

that this was bird jaguar who was

the individual that was um celebrated

and commemorated by the construction of

this building um

there's lots of relief sculptures and

steel a and narrative

um reliefs that depict the events and

accomplishments

of each of these rulers it is thought

that they would commission these

buildings to basically tell everybody

how cool they were

and to affirm their seat of power

this is lintel number 25 in structure

number 23.

so this was originally set above a

doorway in a building and

this building was dedicated to

shield jaguar ii and his wife lady shock

so lady shock right here is shown in the

bottom

right hand corner and she has

instruments for giving

blood offerings so she has a bowl right

here and then she has a hand

extended out when you look at her bowl

there's a couple of sheets

of bloodletting paper which is made out

of bark as well as a spine

instrument so there are several

different um kinds of materials that

maya used in blood flooding rituals

there's this particularly grisly image

of a a queen pulling a

thorny cord through her tongue it's

quite gruesome so there were lots of um

and this was thought to

be an offering to the gods and be

something that you would do to

perpetuate the cycle of life and to

maintain order in the cosmos

the letting of blood was not something

that was violence for violence sake as a

lot of people tend to assume

but rather it was something that was

seen as necessary to maintain order

and it was one of the duties of members

of the royal family in order to make

sure that things proceeded as they were

supposed to

so ladies shock right here is shown in a

beautifully

detailed garment right here

and she also has this elaborate

headdress on she's obviously

a lady of high society here and she is

looking up

at this vision serpent that she has

summoned

so one of the things that people would

do in these bloodletting rituals is that

sometimes they would lose so much blood

that they would start to hallucinate

and oftentimes those hallucinations were

seen as

visions or they were recorded down and

used

to basically communicate the the will of

the gods to the people

so in this particular case the

hallucination here is this vision

serpent which emerges from over here

more or less and then there's this large

serpent head right here and then there's

a another figure that is coming out of

the serpent's head the identity that

of this figure is not quite known

um it's thought that it could be like a

mirror image of lady shock it could be

an ancestral deity or some sort of god

we're not entirely sure

so there's a hieroglyphic inscription

that is going around

the piece right here interestingly this

is inverted

so it's actually flipped backwards as if

it were a mirror the

intention of this is not entirely clear

but it might be like a reflection of the

other side of existence

or like looking into a reflection

the date um of shield jaguar the second

her husband's ascension to the throne is

also noted

in this inscription so it is implied

that this was some sort of ritual that

was done

upon her husband's ascent to the throne

to basically secure his rule and to

honor it

when you look at this piece you're again

noticing a lot of similarities to the

chavin culture in terms of these very

complex designs

lots of snake motifs but in this case

we're seeing

um a written language a hieroglyphic

language which is not something that we

saw with the chavin culture

we are now going to move um northward um

to the anasazi culture so in the navajo

language the word anasazi means ancient

ones

nowadays this culture is referred to as

the ancestral puebloans

so the anasazi or ancestral puebloans

occupied the american southwest so that

would be modern day new mexico

arizona colorado and utah so the anasazi

are best known for their dwellings which

the spanish settlers who came into the

area later called pueblos

so pueblos consisted of these many small

rooms that could be reached through

windows doors and ladders here is a

cross section of a pueblo

right here so there were oftentimes

these um

cubicular rooms that were separated by

small windows

of course there were oftentimes air

vents to permit airflow

they kind of look like ant colonies to

me in terms of like these

these sectioned areas that are intended

for different things

so um the wall thickness of a pueblo

determined

how high a structure could be you can

imagine that if your walls and the

foundations are really thin you wouldn't

be able to build too high because it's

not going to be able to support anything

so the tallest were about four stories

tall

so the um foundations of these buildings

were oftentimes made of stone and then

they would use

wood as a foundation and then they would

cover the wood in

stucco and um and some sort of

um like stone or brick

in most cases pueblos faced a central

plaza which served as a social and

religious

center of the complex so when we look at

the mesa verde cliff

dwellings these are the pueblos right

here and then these are kivas which

are these fire pits and then this was

the plaza right here

so these are the mesa verde cliff

dwellings these are in the four corners

regions so that um region that is

right where new mexico colorado

and um

arizona and utah kind of intersect it

creates this kind of intersection

i've actually been here it was a long

time ago when i was like 10 i wasn't

very excited it was pretty boring to me

at the time

i'd love to go back but in any case the

pueblo structures were built right into

the cliffside below a mesa so mesa is

spanish for table

in this case mesas are oftentimes used

to refer to

plateaus or like relatively flat areas

that have an overhang and then some sort

of area underneath

you can imagine that if you were a

person coming across this area 1500

years ago

that it would have been like yeah this

is a great area it's shaded from the

really

intensely hot sun it's also relatively

hidden and we could make something cool

out of this

so this is a really strategically um

advantageous location for people to live

which is probably why they built this

small community here

so this community probably housed around

250 people

it probably would have been a couple of

clans that had banded together for

mutual support and defense they were all

kind of looking out for each other

um the anastasi in this case were

actually agricultural

and they would conduct a lot of farming

in the area above the mesa and then they

would bring

water and food and all of their

materials down into

into this area right here so it was

worth the effort of

having to move stuff back and forth

enough for this location here

so um the top ledges of the pueblos were

usually really cool and dry so that made

these areas really ideal for storing

supplies especially when you have things

like

the weather anything between like a

really hot

like baking sun and snow

so having this um this overhang right

here will protect

not only your bodies but whatever

resources that you manage to collect

during those like agriculturally for

taught fertile periods

so um these structures all face a main

plaza which is right here

and then there's also these circular

pits um

throughout and these are called kivas so

these were usually used for gathering or

ritual purposes

there's actually when you go to mesa

verde you can actually see the kivas

they're quite

large and they're made using this sort

of coral

masonry they're circular

and they oftentimes have these sort of

um

pillars that are engaged in the sides

right here and there would have been

um some sort of wood that was used as a

roof

to cover these areas what's really

interesting is that there were several

like adaptations in place to make sure

that the people inside didn't die of

carbon monoxide poisoning

so there was this vent right here which

was carved into the side

and that would be one sort of

like ventilation shaft that was used to

make sure that like all of the

nasty air and smoke didn't build up in

this structure

there was also a hole that was built

into the roof to make sure that the

smoke would go up

there was also this particular structure

right here called a deflector which was

put in between the vent and the fire pit

to prevent the air from coming in and

blowing the fire out here

so it's just kind of like a a block

so these were specifically engineered to

keep this area inside here nice and warm

and well ventilated

so papua is not a term that's going to

come up on the ap exam i don't think

typically this is something that was

used as part of like ritual

from what i understand

we are now going to move a little bit to

the northeast to the mississippian

culture

so the mississippians were a

that's a very broad term to describe

dozens upon dozens of cultures that

existed in what is now the midwest so

this is a map right here that kind of

explains the extent of these cultures

and how many different ones

how many different cultures that there

were and these are just the ones that we

know of

so you'll notice that a lot of them are

in these areas that are

um flanked by waterways again having a

near source of water

is something that is really advantageous

to a lot of these civilizations because

you're able to have

agriculture and irrigation

so that's one of the reasons why they're

called the mississippian cultures

because they're by the mississippi river

so most of these settlements were

agricultural

and one of the main kind of like

hallmarks of these cultures and why they

were so successful is that they came up

with this

ingenious farming technique that

involved these plants that are referred

to as the three sisters so we have

squash corn and beans

so they were all grown together to

facilitate this

symbiotic and efficient farming here's

how it worked

so the squash would provide enough

ground cover to prevent weeds from

sprouting up so that would prevent

invasive species from coming in

and taking up all the nutrition in the

soil

the corn would provide a structural

place for beans to grow so they would

be able to wind up the stock of the corn

here

and then beans and other legumes have

mycorrhizae which is a special kind of

fungus that grows in their roots

and they are really good and efficient

at

recruiting nitrogen in the soil so

oftentimes

beans are re are planted in areas to

facilitate the movement of nitrogen in

the soil

um to the surrounding plants because

those mycorrhizae are able to do that i

mean that's

something that's more in biology but the

the idea here is that growing these

three items together

is intended to facilitate the uh the

growth

and survival of all of them which is

just really really ingenious

so some of these settlements became

popular population centers with social

hierarchy so you had like a ruling

individual and then several people under

them

a lot of them had advanced technologies

including the ability to work with metal

a lot of them had a very profound

understanding

of cosmology and the movement of the

stars and planets

um there were actually several ancient

city-states

that were that govern these large swath

of lands and were

known for their ability to build these

massive mound complexes

one of the most famous of these

city-states was cahokia

and this is one mound in

those regions to give you a sense of

scale as to how large these are this is

a car

which is pretty fantastic like again

this is an

age before tractors and before there

were tools out there

that were used to efficiently move large

areas

of earth so this was all moved by hand

so you can imagine that there's some

sort of significance to these mounds

in this idea that people are spending

this much time and this much effort in

building them

so you can imagine that mounds would

serve as a strategic location it gives

you a pretty high vantage point for

seeing the stuff around you

there's also again this kind of like

high position of hierarchy where the

higher

you are the more important you are so

um mounds were sometimes built to

support structures like we see in this

reenactment here

but the purpose of these less

utilitarian mounds is not as well

understood especially

given how a lot of these civilizations

have been layered

on top of one another so the provenance

of some mounds is is not really well

understood

and it's actually believed that several

of these mounds were started by one

culture and then added to and completed

by others

so that kind of could that kind of

confound the archaeological record in a

lot of ways

so this is the great serpent mound right

here this is one of those

mystery mounds where we're not entirely

sure what its purpose is

but we still have a couple of guesses

based on the context

so to give you a sense of how large this

is it is around 300 feet

long and around 1 to 3 feet tall

here is a section of the great serpent

mound right here and then a couple of

people taking pictures to give you a

sense of the scale

so mounds like these were usually added

to and changed over several years

several years and mound building

campaigns so there would be like

specific times when people are like yes

let's go out to the mound it's not like

it was built from start to finish

and one kind of continuous timeline in

most cases

there don't seem to be any temples or

burials that are associated with this

mound

um so there's not really a enough

evidence to substantiate that this was

built to commemorate

like a particular like temple or a deity

or a burial of some sort

of course there could have been stuff

buried there um that was removed

again this kind of goes back to the

hypothesis of maybe some people came

upon this mound and they took this stuff

out and then they added their own stuff

um again the provenance is not entirely

clear

um but it was very likely built by the

fort ancient culture

who were influenced by the

mississippians who were those mound

builders

so what's interesting about this piece

is that it can only really be fully

appreciated from a high vantage point

and of course the technology to do this

was not present at the time of

construction which was around a thousand

years ago

so that's kind of adding to the mystery

of it i highly recommend if you want to

see other kind of like

mystery images that you can't even

really

perceive unless you go up into the sky

look at the nazca lines

n a z c a nausea lines they're in peru

and they're fantastic

so there's a couple of theories as to

what this means it represents

um a lot of um people theorize that it

is a snake so again we're going back to

that serpent motif

um snakes are associated with crop

fertility and a lot of meso

and south american cultures you can

imagine that

like in the west snakes are seen as like

particularly vile there's association

with adam and eve and the garden of eden

and like being the root of all evil

but in meso and south american culture

snakes serve a really agriculturally

important role

in that they eat a lot of the the mice

and the rats that actually would

like eat the corn and the squash and the

beans and all of those other important

crop items

so in this sense snakes are seen as

beings

that are worthy of reverence and worthy

of respect and are oftentimes deified

they're made into gods

so it stands to reason that this very

well could be a snake

um the snake image right here um could

this could be the tail and this is the

head

a lot of people theorize that this is

the mouth and it's following the sun

um so this could be referencing like an

eclipse uh where the sun is disappearing

in the middle of the day

um it might depict an astrological

phenomenon like a comet

so haley's comment would have been

visceral around 1066 ce so maybe people

saw it in the sky and they're like we

gotta make a picture of that

it could also be a calendar there's some

evidence that suggests

that there's um that this was used as a

calendar or something to determine when

to plant stuff when to harvest stuff

the head of the comet is pointed in the

direction of the summer solstice

sunset and then um there's also

some connections to the phases of the

moon

and the curves here there's lots of

different theories there hasn't really

been one set thing that everybody has

agreed on quite yet