Pre-Columbian Ceramics

Peruvian Cultures – Moche’ – Chimu – Nazca Central American Culture – Mayan

We will be looking at the pottery from Pre_Columbian Cultures from S America like the Moche, Chimu, and Nazcan. We will also look at pottery made in Central America by the Mayans. The Moche were an Andean civilization that flourished from the 1 st to 8 th centuries CE. Very advanced like the Incans and made sophisticated crafts and pottery. -The disappearance of this civilization is not fully understood but it is thought they may have succumbed to earthquakes, droughts or catastrophic flooding due to El Nino. The Chimu civilization overlapped with the Moche and were very closely related. Like the Incans, this civilization was very artistic created metal repousse masks, jewelry, textiles, and ceramics.

The Nazca were a Peruvian civilization that set up their community in the Palpa Valley. There are most famous for the mysterious Nazca line drawings. The Nazca lines are a series of ancient geoglyphs located in the Nazca Desert in southern Peru. Hundreds are simple lines or geometric shapes; more than 70 are zoomorphic designs of animals such as birds, fish, llamas, jaguars, monkeys, or human figures. Other designs include phytomorphic shapes such as trees and flowers. The largest figures are over 200 m (660 ft) across. Scholars differ in interpreting the purpose of the designs, but in general, they ascribe religious significance to them.

The Mayans The Mayans are a Central American Pre-Columbian civilization that Developed in the Yucatan Peninsula. They are well known for using chocolate in great abundance, being great astronomers, knowledgeable mathematicians, having their own written language, writing thousands of books, and being impressive architects and artists.

Stirrup Vessels Stirrup Spouts and Stirrup Handles Pots of Pre-Columbian America

Pre-Columbian societies had an abundance of clay, minerals and oxides to create beautiful polychrome (many colored) vessels, such as the one above. While the style of decoration is unique to Central and South America, the shape of the body is similar to pottery of other cultures around the world. Terracotta, or red colored clay bodies, were used to produce this pottery.

These are vessels whose form is unique, because of the way in which the handles and spouts are created. These vessels have STIRRUP SPOUTS. Notice the 2 cylinders which attach to form a single spout at the top.

Though other societies had a version of the stirrup pot, such as the one above from Europe, the stirrups didn’t connect spouts like the vessels from So. America.

The purpose of Stirrup Vessels is unknown. Some experts believe they were used in a ritual. They often had decorations or the forms of stylized animals, plants, people, and mythical beings. Many have been found in burial tombs. Though the paintings were usually stylized, the sculpted images could be very realistic. They are also highly burnished and polychrome ceramics.

Some Stirrup pots have a STIRRUP HANDLE, made from a solid strap of clay, rather than hollow chambers. This example also has a single spout.

STIRRUP HANDLES are often on DOUBLE SPOUTED vessels, with a strap of clay connecting the two spouts.

More advanced animal pots. Too complex for our time limitations

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