Native Art of North and Meso America

Native Art of North and Meso America

The objective of this study is to examine the relationship between native North American art and the art of Mesoamerica? Is an exchange of artistic influences seen between these two neighboring regions?

Between 20,000 and 30,000 years ago, the first inhabitants of the Americas arrived in North America. This time was approximately around the time of the last glacial age. The oceans of the world due to water forming into ice were lower than they presently are and a land bridge approximately 1,000 miles wide connecting Siberia to Alaska formed. This is known as the Bering land bridge. Some of these new inhabitants settled in North America and others migrated to Central and South America. There were great civilizations flourishing throughout the Americas at different times and in different locations. (Education Department of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, 2000, paraphrased)

Meso-America Indian Art and North-American Indian Art

There are surprising similarities between Meso-American Indian Art and North American Indian Art. In a report it is stated that Indians in Georgia "created realistic marble and ceramic statues a 1000 years ago of people, who were dressed like Maya slaves and laborers. The turban was the badge of low social status among the Mayas, yet Creek leaders to this day wear turbans, not feathered head dresses." (Thornton, 2010) In addition, the copper art produced at Ocmulgee and Etowah mounds has been found to be impressive.

An archaeologist reports being surprised that "every glyph on the frieze of one temple at the Toltec Capital of Tollan could be found on the pottery and copper art discovered at Etowah Mounds, GA." (Thornton, 2010) In addition "most of the two dimensional art of the Anasazi Culture of the Southwest is "similar to that of Central Mexico." (Thornton, 2010) It is also reported that the architecture and town plans of towns that border the Mississippi River are reported to be "very similar to those of the Toltecs. These towns (along the Mississippi River) were planned to ridge orthogonal geometry. Almost all platform mounds were rectangular truncated pyramids. All plazas were rectangular. The very first platform mound of the Mississippian Period, 'Mound A at Ocmulgee National Monument (c.900) was a Toltec style truncated, rectangular pyramid." (Thornton, 2010)

It is reported that during the Early Mississippian Period "Lower Southeastern plazas were linear like Teotihuacan." (Thornton, 2010) Sorenson (1987) writes that research shows that "massive mounds and evidence of solar orientation along with artifacts that recall the Olmecs have been found at Poverty Point, Louisiana dating to Jaredite times." It is reported as well by Sorenson that the Hobokam culture of Arizona

"shows so many similarities to the cultures of Mexico that all who have investigated the matter have concluded that much of the Hohokam culture originated in Mesoamerica. Florence Hawley, a leading scholar in this area, concludes that the attributes of the gods worshipped in these two areas were so similar that 'derivation must be assumed' from the south. She and Laurens Hammack describe in detail the ritual and cosmological role of caves, solstice marking, the two-headed snake, lakes, shrines, and kickball games intended to make rain. The parallels also include the deities known in Mexico as Quetzalcoatl, Tlaloc, and Tezcatlipoca." (Sorenson, 1987)

II. Similarities of Ceramics

Ceramics is another area of art form that can be found as similar in North American and Mesoamerican Indian cultures. For example, Ceramics from the middle Savannah River in Georgia and South Carolina (known as Stallings, Stallings Island, or St. Simons) are similar to those of the earlier Puerto Homiga ceramics of Colombia. The following pictures show first, a piece of Stallings Ceramic followed by two pictures of Puerto Homiga ceramics of Colombia.

Figure 1 -- Stallings Ceramics

Source: http://scnapr.info/pottery%20website/series%20and%20types/series%20and%20type%20images/Stallings/Stallings/stallings14.html

Figure 2 - Puerto Homiga Ceramics of Colombia

Source: http://scnapr.info/pottery%20website/series%20and%20types/series%20and%20type%20images/Stallings/Stallings/stallings14.html

Figure 3 - Puerto Homiga Ceramics of Colombia

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:LBK-Pottery.jpg