Arts of the Ancient Americas

An accessible illustrated history of the art of the Americas examining art across all media from traditionally understudied regions.

A superbly illustrated history of the arts of the Americas before the European invasions, this book offers a timely reevaluation of the visual cultures of the ancient Western Hemisphere. From Alaska to Argentina, this rich survey of diverse peoples and landscapes presents a new understanding of some of the world's great visual traditions.

Organized chronologically from the 2nd millennium BC to the colonial period, it examines societies and artists across modern national borders. Allowing readers to discover civilizations in traditionally understudied regions, the book surveys art across all media: landscape, built environment, monumental sculpture and painting, bodily adornment and portable objects for life and death. The book emphasizes recent findings from leading scholars about the communities of artists that thrived under the patronage of powerful families in ancient American city-states and imperial capitals. It draws comparisons and contrasts to global traditions, underscoring the importance of the ancient American corpus. A rich body of illustrations from museum collections and archaeological sites takes readers across the continents and through the centuries. The result is an important consideration of the art, peoples and cultures of the ancient Americas.