HIS 160 - Online - Latin American History Before Independence (Duchicela): Cultural History

"Offers an extremely ambitious book that covers the artistic creativity of the peoples of Latin America from the earliest Paleo-Indians in 20,000 BCE to modern times, and from the southern tip of Argentina in the south to the Rio Grande in the north. . . . Very useful for undergraduate and graduate students of Latin American art.""--Choice "An important text for arts and humanities courses, as it relates the arts to the life and politics of each age. One of few recent books with this kind of broad coverage." --Library Journal "An ambitious treatment of Latin American art throughout time and space. . . . This kind of comprehensive treatment is sorely needed in the field of art history and cultural studies. . . . I would certainly purchase this book, both for my own personal reading and for use as a required text."--Eloise Qui#65533;ones Keber, City University of New York In this history of the art of Latin America, John F. Scott traces the development of art in the region from pre-Columbian times to the present. Illustrated with 192 color and black-and-white photographs, Latin American Art spans all geographical areas and time periods. Unique in its linking of pre-Columbian and Hispanic cultures, the book encompasses art forms ranging from sculpture, pottery, and painting to architecture, and cultures from the Ice Age to Classic civilizations, Native empires, and the colonial period of American viceroyalties, to independence and the 20th century. Relating the arts to the life and politics of each age, Scott addresses the major media, styles, and artists that defined each period, placing special emphasis on the areas that were the centers of high cultures and analyzing a few distinctive works from each, such as the Inca architecture at Cuzco and the great murals of Mexico. Written in a straightforward and accessible style, Latin American Art will be an important text in arts and humanities courses. It will also be of value to art historians and to those interested in cultural studies, ethnic studies, and Latin America in general. John F. Scott is professor of art history at the University of Florida. He has published several books on Latin American art, including Ancient Mesoamerica (UPF, 1987); Mexican, Central and South American Art; Art of the Taino of the Dominican Republic; and The Danzantes of Monte Alb#65533;n, as well as numerous articles in English, Spanish, and German.

A vibrant compilation of 240 meticulously reproduced motifs from the pre-Columbian world, this volume abounds in Aztec calendars, gods of medicine and war, animals, mythological characters, and scores of other striking images. Authentic sources include bas relief fragments from Chichen Itza, ornate architectural details, Maya hieroglyphs, Olmec pottery figures, and a Teotihuacan mural.

This latest title in a strikingly beautiful series of collectable books turns our attention to the rich variety of art from the Ancient Americas. We gain fascinating insights into the design and production of a wide range of objects from Mexico and Central and South America. Enlarged details chosen to inspire, illuminate, and surprise bring us close to the world of the Olmecs, Mayans, Mixtecs, Aztecs, and Incans. Beginning by asking what constitutes Ancient American art, Colin McEwan contextualizes this art in its complexity of form and meaning. The close-ups provide the reader with insights that even a behind-the-scenes museum tour cannot offer. As we move across a range of cultures and media, we understand larger issues within which these works of art are embedded: What is the relationship between art and nature in the Ancient Americas? How were these objects used in ritual and religious practices? What is the role of masks? How do the practices of ancestor deification, sacrifice, and rituals related to fertility and procreation shape the visual and material culture of the Ancient Americas? Jade, turquoise, featherwork, metalwork, wood, stone, ceramics, textiles, and illustrations each beautifully photographed object is part of the extraordinary Ancient American collection of the British Museum. The beauty of the smallest details is magnified and contextualized through accompanying essays written by experts in Ancient American art.

A vivid account of the literary culture of the Spanish-speaking Americas from the time of Columbus to Latin American Independence, this Very Short Introduction explores the origins of Latin American literature in Spanish and tells the story of how Spanish literary language developed andflourished in the New World. A leading scholar of colonial Latin American literature, Rolena Adorno examines the writings that debated the justice of the Spanish conquests, described the novelties of New World nature, expressed the creativity of Hispanic baroque culture in epic, lyric, and satiricalpoetry, and anticipated Latin American Independence. The works of Spanish, creole, and Amerindian authors highlighted here, including Bartolome de las Casas, Felipe Guaman Poma, Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, and Andres Bello, have been chosen for the merits of their writings, their participation in the larger literary and cultural debates of their times,and their resonance among readers today.

This version is designed to place the Codex Mendoza, the most comprehensive and extensively illustrated Aztec document, within the reach of a broad audience. Compiled in Mexico City c.1541, the codex was designed to inform Charles V about his newly conquered subjects. The manuscript contains pictorial accounts of Aztec emperors' conquests and tribute paid by the conquered, as well as an ethnographic record of Aztec daily life from cradle to grave.

In this companion volume to History and Mythology of the Aztecs, John Bierhorst provides specialists with a transcription of the Nahuatl text, keyed to the translation, and a linguistic apparatus to help elucidate it. The Glossary offers definitions for all unusual usages in the codex, as well as careful treatment of many of the commonest (and most semantically flexible) verbs, adverbs, and particles. Detailed discussions of selected features appears in the Grammatical Notes, which complete the work.

First published in 1928. 'Something more than an historical document of the first importance...his narrative is so readable that one's interest and admiration are equally divided between the stupendous events he records and the charming revelations of his own character.' Saturday Review. Four eye-witnesses of the discovery and conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards have left written records, but of these the present volume and the letters of Cort#65533;s (Volume 14) are by far the most important.

Vivid, powerful and absorbing, this is a first-person account of one of the most startling military episodes in history- the overthrow of Montezuma's doomed Aztec Empire by the ruthless Hernan Cortes and his band of adventurers. Bernal D#65533;az del Castillo, himself a soldier under Cortes, presents a fascinatingly detailed description of the Spanish landing in Mexico in 1520 and their amazement at the city, the exploitation of the natives for gold and other treasures, the expulsion and flight of the Spaniards, their regrouping and eventual capture of the Aztec capital.