Introduction to the Art and Architecture of the Mayas, Aztecs, and Incas

Catalog description

This course examines the artistic and architectural production of Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica and the Andes. ARTH 140 Introduction to the Art and Architecture of the Mayas, Aztecs, and Incas (3)(BA) This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements. This course examines the art and architecture created by the Pre-Columbian indigenous cultures of Mesoamerica and South America, geographical regions today defined by the nations of Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Argentina. Its content spans a deep expanse of history, in Mesoamerica ranging from the Pre-Classic period (1200 BCE) through the Post-Classic period (CE 1521) and in South America, from the Early Horizon (1200 BCE) through the Late Horizon (1532). Culturally, we will pay particular attention to the Maya, Aztecs and Inca, but the precursors of these societies, the Olmec, Teotihuacan, Chavin de Huantar, the Moche, will also be studied. This introductory course approaches the material both thematically and chronologically, addressing how different cultures of the Pre-Columbian world utilized art, architecture, and their production in the cultural arenas of urbanism, public ritual, politics, myth-history and intercultural exchange. In addition to lectures, the course's required reading and class discussion will aid students in acquiring a basic knowledge of Pre-Columbian cultural practices.