1. Art in Mexico
Preconquest through
20th Century

2. 3 Major Phases I. Preconquest Art II. Colonial Art and Architecture
III. Popular Artists in 19th and 20th Centuries

3. I. Preconquest A. Preclassic (3500 B.C. – 300 A.D.)
B. Classic (300 A.D. – 900 A.D.)
C. Postclassic ( 900 A.D. – 1521 A.D.)

4. Preclassic: Las Remojadas
Around 1500 B.C. in Southern Mexico
Human figures made of baked clay or mud, painted with “chapopote”
Smiling figures, probably used for rituals and ceremonies
Figures of women who died giving birth

8. Preclassic: Olmecs 1200 B.C. – 600 A.D.
Lived in what is now the southern part of Mexico, near the Gulf of Mexico
Created many sculptures such as the “Olmec Heads” , animal spirits, and small human figures

12. Classic: Teotihuacan “Ciudad de los dioses” (150-750 A.D.)
Talud-Tablero style buildings with painted stucco
Painted murals of gods, nature, and animal spirits
Figures of humans, gods, and masks made from stone, jade, and obsidian

16. Classic: El Tajin 600 – 1100 A.D. in Central Veracruz
May have been built by the Totonacs
Talud style architecture
Grecas and nichos
Art related to “juego de pelota”

19. Postclassic: Quiahuiztlan
1100 – 1521 A.D. in Central Veracruz
Built by the Totonacs
Small “templos”, possibly used for sacrifices to the dead
Nichos, evidence of influence from El Tajin

21. Postclassic: Zempoala
1200 – 1521 A.D. in Central Veracruz
Built by the Totonacs
Unique use of river rocks instead of cut stone
Design stamps of animals

22. Postclassic: Tenochtitlan
1325 – 1521 A.D.
Built by the Aztecs
Murals and paintings of ancient gods such as Quetzalcoatl, Tezcatlipoca, and Huitzilopochtli
Animal and human figures such as eagles made of stone and obsidian