Search results for ""Author Maria Teresa Uriarte""

An authoritative and magnificently illustrated survey of Mesoamerican architecture from pre-Olmec times to the Spanish conquest. This important book, prepared by leading contemporary archaeologists working under the aegis of Mexico’s prestigious Instituto Nacional de Antropología y Historia, begins with an overview of the aesthetics, symbolism, and techniques of Mesoamerican architecture. The succeeding chapters survey the historical development of architecture in each of the region’s cultural areas in turn, describing the achievements of the Olmecs, the Maya, the Teotihuacanos, the Aztecs, and many other groups. The concluding chapter is devoted to the descriptions of architecture that have survived in Maya and Aztec texts; it includes a unique and valuable glossary of the relevant glyphs. The main text of this handsome volume is illustrated with color photographs of the spectacular remains of pyramids, palaces, and plazas, while a scholarly appendix presents maps, plans, and drawings of the most important sites and structures. With its authoritative essays and wealth of pictorial material, Pre-Columbian Architecture in Mesoamerica is destined to become a standard reference for the serious student and a source of intellectual delight for the curious amateur. There is no other survey of the entire Mesoamerican region that focuses exclusively on the architectural achievements of its native peoples.

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Presenting the first comprehensive art historical study of some magnificent Mesoamerican murals, this book demonstrates how generations of ancient Mexican artists, patrons, and audiences created a powerful statement of communal identity that still captures the imagination. Honorable Mention, ALAA Book Award, Association for Latin American Art/Arvey Foundation, 2016Between AD 650 and 950, artists at the small Central Mexican city-state of Cacaxtla covered the walls of their most important sacred and public spaces with dazzling murals of gods, historical figures, and supernatural creatures. Testimonies of a richly interconnected ancient world, the Cacaxtla paintings present an unexpectedly deep knowledge of the art and religion of the Maya, Zapotec, and other distant Mesoamerican peoples. Painted during a period of war and shifting alliances after the fall of Teotihuacan, the murals’ distinctive fusion of cosmopolitan styles and subjects claimed a powerful identity for the beleaguered city-state.Presenting the first cohesive, art historical study of the entire painting corpus, The Murals of Cacaxtla demonstrates that these magnificent works of art constitute a sustained and local painting tradition, treasured by generations of patrons and painters. Exhaustive chapters on each of the mural programs make it possible to see how the Cacaxtla painting tradition developed over time, responding to political and artistic challenges. Lavishly illustrated, The Murals of Cacaxtla illuminates the agency of ancient artists and the dynamics of artistic synthesis in a Mesoamerican context, offering a valuable counterpoint to studies of colonial and modern art operating at the intersection of cultural traditions.

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