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American Indian Art
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Map links are indicated by the color red.
  narrative (n)
a story or description of real or imagined events
     
  Nayarit (n)
west-central Mexican state on the Pacific Ocean. Its terrain comprises the deep gorges and narrow valleys of the Sierra Madre occidental mountain range, which rises steeply from the narrow Pacific coastal region.
     
  ochre (n)
an earth tone, usually red or yellow in color, often consisting of impure iron ore and used as a pigment
     
 

Olmec (n)
the first complex, statelike society in Mesoamerica. The Olmec people lived in the hot, humid lowlands along the Gulf coast in what are now the southern Veracruz and Tabasco states in southern Mexico. Although this remained its native land, Olmec culture influenced central Mexico, and Guatemala, and El Salvador.

The first examples of Olmec art date from about 1150 B.C. and were found at San Lorenzo, the oldest known Olmec building site. This site includes many stone monuments, especially colossal carved heads that have characteristic flat faces, thickened lips, and helmetlike headgear. Besides monumental architecture and sculpture, Olmec art includes small jade carvings, pottery, and other media.

     
  Paracas (n)
a peninsula located in present-day southern Peru. The name Paracas is given to the location, the society, and its archaeological remains. The Paracas flourished between 900 B.C. and A.D. 400. The culture is significant because the people wrapped the mummified corpses of their dead in embroidered cloaks, which are now recognized as some of the finest examples of pre-Columbian textile art.
     
  pictogram (n)
a picture representing a word or idea; the earliest type of writing system
     
  plaza (n)
a public square in a city or town
     
  pigment (n)
a dry, colored substance that is mixed with a liquid to make paint
     
  prognosticate (v)
to forecast or prophecy
     
  relief (n)
a piece of sculpture that features a molded, carved, or stamped design that stands out three-dimensionally from the surface
     
  repertoire (n)
the complete list of skills, devices, or ingredients used in a particular field, occupation, or practice
     
  repoussé (n)
the process of "pushing out" a design from thin sheets of metal. To practice this technique, ancient American goldsmiths frequently worked with molds and used tools made from bone or deer antlers
     
  ritual (n)
a ceremony related to religious doctrine or social customs
     
 

 

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© 2004. The Art Institute of Chicago. All text and images on this site are protected by
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