Art & Art History

This page has materials related to Pre-Columbian art.

Art Reference Books              Books                     Identify Articles                         Pre-Columbian Art on the Web 

Archaeology of Ancient Mexico and Central America: An Encyclopedia. F1218.6 .A73 2001 Ref

Dictionary of Art. 34 vols. N 31 .D5 1996 Reference.  Online link Art Online available to CSU affiliates.

Enciclopedia del Peru. F 3409.5 .E63 2001 Ref

Facts on File Encyclopedia of Art. 5 vols. N 31 .F33 2005 Ref Vol. 3 has Pre-Columbian Art

Historical Dictionary of Ancient Mesoamerica. F 1434 .H57 2000 Ref

Oxford Encyclopedia of Mesoamerican Cultures: The Civilizations of Mexico and Central America. 3 vols. F 1218.6 .O95 2001 Ref

Handbook of Mesoamerican Mythology. F 1219.3 .R38 R42 2000 Ref

Identify books on Pre-Columbian art in general (and specific kinds) in the library catalog. Identify additional titles in Prospector, the Colorado Union Catalog. CSU affiliates may request items from Prospector. Search the following terms using a Subject search; be sure to look at the subdivisions as well, when available. Some of the subjects below have only one or two books about them at CSU.

Use the following indexes/databases to identify articles by topic. JSTOR is full text for items at least 3-5 years old; check  for electronic and/or print ownership (found in the library catalog SAGE) in the other databases. Check the library catalog for articles identified in the print indexes. The terms listed are starting suggestions that vary by topic; be sure to do additional searches that match your specific research needs.

Academic Search Premier. Varies.

Caves
Decorative arts
Figurines
Idols & images
Maya art
Rites & ceremonies
Ritual
Small sculpture

Art Abstracts. 1984- . Also in print, scattered years from 1932-1998; Z 5937 .A78 Reference South

Anasazi culture
Art, Pre-Columbian--Exhibitions 
Art, Pre-Columbian--Sales and prices 
Art, Primitive--Sales and prices 
Civilization, Pre-Columbian (Middle American) 
Iconography, Pre-Columbian 
Masks, Pre-Columbian (Middle American)--Reproductions 
Pottery, Pre-Columbian (Middle American)--Reproductions 
Pre-Columbian antiquities (North American) 
Pre-Columbian antiquities--Exhibitions 
Sculpture, Pre-Columbian (Middle American)--Reproductions 
Stone implements

Art Index Retrospective 1929-1984.

America--Discovery and exploration, Pre-Columbian 
Architecture, Pre-columbian (Middle American) 
Art, Pre-columbian (Middle American)--Exhibitions 
Art, Pre-columbian (South American)--Exhibitions 
Art, Pre-columbian--Exhibitions 
Cities And towns, Pre-Columbian (Middle American) 
Goldwork, Pre-columbian (South American)--Exhibitions 
Pre-columbian Antiquities (Middle American) 
Sculpture, Pre-columbian (Middle American) 
Textiles, Pre-columbian (South American)

eHRAF Collection of Archaeology.

Browse: Maya, Classic, NY53; Maya, Postclassic, NY54; Maya, Preclassic, NY52. Do subject searches for specific types of sites (e.g. pyramids).

JSTOR. Varies.

Search: "Pre-Columbian Art" and specific countries and eras of interest. Some of the articles in JSTOR have high-quality images so figures and objects may be seen.

New York Times Historical 1851- .

Find exhibition reviews. Details about a specific object may be scanty--but the possibility of an in-depth article on a figure or region is there.

The following Web pages and sites have information on Pre-Columbian art. Be sure to evaluate what you find.

Ancient Mesoamerican Civilizations. Kevin L. Callahan. University of Minnesota Department of Anthropology.

This page supplies links (limited or no annotations) to information regarding Mesoamerican Civilizations. The primary groups addressed are the Maya, Mixtec, Zapotec, and Aztec. Pop ups.

AncientMexico.com: The Art, Culture, and History of Ancient Mesoamerica. Patrick Olivares.

Map of Ancient Mesoamerica, the Gods (brief information on), and La Conquista: The Conquest of Mexico, which is a click through slide show with background music. From the La Conquista page there are tabs at the top for the other mentioned topics and a timeline and documents (found linked to on left side of page; text on page is description of Aztec Religion and Ritual, an Anonymous colonial indian account). Bookstore link (titles to Amazon.com) has bibliography. Pages fade in artistically.

Ancient Mexico Art. National Museum of the American Indian.

An introduction provides background for the exhibition (forty-four pieces). Collection is grouped by: animal imagery (six); ceramic vessels (seven); ceremonial objects (eight); daily life (six); funerary urns (three); masks (five); sculptural figures (five); and the ball game (four). Click on image to view larger size of object and brief description.

Pre-Columbian. ArtLex Art Dictionary. Michael Delahunt.

Examples of art from this time period with brief descriptions.

Precolumbian Art of Mesoamerica: Art History Resources.

Links to sources on the Web. Site and author(s) identified, but not annotated. Grouped by general history, art history, fringe, and online museum collections.

 Kimbell Art Museum

Selected objects from the collection. Click on link for picture of object and description. High-quality images and informative descriptions.

Pre-Columbian Art. Detroit Institute of Arts.

Brief descriptive text with eight examples. When clicked on the images are enlarged (and offer an even larger image) and given a description.

Art of the Ancient Americas . Princeton University Art Museum.

Objects from the museum's holdings in ancient American art. 448 online images (as of 10/16/8). When clicked on the images are enlarged in a pop-forward box and a description is provided.

Worcester Art Museum. Pre-Columbian Art.

Ten images with very brief description. Click on image or hyperlinked text for larger image, description, and copyright notice.

Precolumbian Art of South America. (before 1532 A.D.)

Page with links arranged by: Web links, history and cultures, and museum sites. Provides page author, but no annotation. (A couple of the museum sites are directly linked to here.)