Arts of the Ancient Americas

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

People and ideas flowed across the American continents for thousands of years before European invasion—from the densest corners of the rainforests to the highest mountains. Arts of the Ancient Americas is an illustrated survey of works of art by ancestral artists from Alaska to Argentina that presents a new understanding of some of the world’s great visual traditions.

Organized chronologically and by broad cultural region, Arts of the Ancient Americas examines artists and societies across modern national borders, emphasizing the interconnectedness of visual cultures and allowing readers to discover new civilizations in traditionally understudied areas. The book also draws comparisons and contrasts to global artistic traditions, drawing on recent findings about the communities of artists that thrived under the patronage of powerful families in ancient American city-states and imperial capitals. It expands our understanding of what ancient American art was and who its creators were across all media, from architecture and bodily adornment to monumental sculpture and painting. The result is an important consideration of art, peoples, and landscapes that underscores the importance of the Ancient American corpus for the entire field of visual studies.