Description
Book SynopsisAn introduction to the refined, spiritually significant, and often dazzling arts produced by the varied cultures of a cradle of world civilization The ancient cultures of the Americas comprise a vast array of societies, whose peoples spoke thousands of languages and dialects, developed distinctive political and economic systems, and followed myriad spiritual practices. The territory stretching from northern Mexico to Chile is one of six world regions where ancient civilizations arose joining Egypt, the Near East and Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley, North China and Southeast Asia. The intellectual, architectural and artistic accomplishments of the ancient American peoples rival those of the others, including fully developed writing systems, the tallest structures in the western hemisphere until the 20th century, and textiles and painted ceramics of unsurpassed complexity and refinement. The collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, is particularly strong in Maya ceramics, early
Table of ContentsDirector’s Foreword • Acknowledgments • Introduction • 1. Spirit and Cosmos 2. Portraiture • 3. Regalia • 4. Fabrics of Power • 5. Feasting • 6. Performance • Map
