#preColumbian
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drawerknob.bsky.social
*pulls up 1824 map of mexico*

*pulls up map of precolumbian u.s.*

🤔
November 3, 2026 at 12:28 AM
patrickkapty.bsky.social
Aparicio Stela
carved stone relief
c. 400-900 CE
Classic Veracruz culture
Mexico

#handmade #carved #stone #relief #AparicioStela #Aparicio #Veracruz #Mexico #Mesoamerica #precolumbian #prehispanic #decapitated #ballplayer #sevensnakes #blood #lifeforce #ritual #sacrifice #religion #ritualballgame
October 27, 2026 at 2:22 PM
patrickkapty.bsky.social
Greenstone Toad Face Yoke/Mold
carved stone
c. 300-1200 CE
Classic Veracruz culture
Veracruz, Mexico

#handmade #carved #greenstone #toad #face #yoke #mold #mesoamerica #ballgame #lifeordeath #underworld #frog #afterlife #resurrection #rebirth #precolumbian #prehispanic #classicveracruz #mexico #art
Sculptures like this were once erroneously interpreted as ‘yokes’ worn when playing the Mesoamerican ballgame. In fact they were used as molds for shaping the protective leather belts secured to the waists of players to cushion the impact of the heavy rubber ball. The ball court itself was a carefully circumscribed sacred space and a symbolic entrance to the Underworld for the losers in what was a life-and-death contest. The toad lives at the threshold between the earthly and subterranean worlds.
November 2, 2026 at 1:24 PM
patrickkapty.bsky.social
Grave Guardians
ceramic, pigments
c. 400 BCE to 300 CE
Nayarit culture
Western Mexico

#graveguardians #burial #shafttombs #Nayarit #culture #precolumbian #prehispanic #mesoamerica #precolumbianart #religion #belief #afterlife #underworld #ancientart #art #sculpture #westernmexico #ancientmexico
October 26, 2026 at 2:14 PM
patrickkapty.bsky.social
Coiled Rattlesnake
carved stone
c. 1200-1519 CE
Aztec (Mexica) culture
Mexico

#handmade #carved #stone #Aztec #Mexica #Mexico #rattlesnake #sculpture #carving #precolumbian #prehispanic #ancientart #art #mesoamerica #coiledsnake #design #symbolism #rebirth #time #transformation #fertility #eternity
To the Aztecs (Mexica), a coiled snake symbolized rebirth, the connection between earth and the divine, and cosmic power or time. Because snakes regularly shed their skin and emerge looking fresh, the Aztecs saw them as living symbols of rejuvenation, transformation, and triumph over aging. Snakes move effortlessly through the dirt, water, and high spaces, making them spiritual messengers that could cross boundaries between the underworld, the earth, and the sky. Serpent imagery was deeply tied to the soil, agriculture, and rain. For instance, the earth goddess Coatlicue wore a skirt of woven snakes, representing creativity and life. A specific type of coiled serpent—the Xiuhcoatl or "Turquoise Serpent"—represented fire, celestial movement, and the sun's daily journey across the sky. Coiled stone sculptures of snakes were sometimes carved with calendar glyphs to mark major time cycles, like the 52-year New Fire Ceremony. The sudden, aggressive strike and venomous bite of rattlesnakes appealed heavily to the militaristic values of the Aztec empire
October 27, 2026 at 2:14 PM
loscastillotaxco.bsky.social
A superb Los Castillo Taxco Chato design sterling silver 'onix negro' Mexican modernist pre-Columbian Parrot design bracelet circa 1950s.

#loscastillotaxco #chatocastillodesign #mexicansilver #taxco #onixnegro #preColumbian #parrotdesign #1950s #mexicanmodernism #design
A superb vintage 1950s handmade sterling silver and 'onix negro' (black onyx) Mexican modernist pre Columbian Parrot design bracelet created by Chato Castillo for Los Castillo in Taxco. Entirely handmade hand wrought solid sterling silver with a bezel-set onix negro stone at top into which is inlaid silver wire in a modernist take on an ancient pre-Columbian Parrot Glyph design most likely of Maya or Aztec origin. The Parrot glyph is repeated again at either end of the bracelet at the closure using the silver overlay technique where two layers of silver are laid over each other with the upper layer cut-thru in the design, and the recesses created are then oxidized black to make the design stand out. Parrots and macaws were deeply sacred in Mesoamerica, serving as living symbols of the sun, fire, and divine messengers connecting the earthly and spiritual realms. Because of their vibrant colors and ability to vocalize, parrots were believed to bridge the gap between humans and the gods, carrying prayers up to the sky. Live birds and their feathers were restricted to royalty and priests. Rulers and elites used the feathers to adorn sacred objects, ceremonial capes, and elaborate headdresses to project divine power. Chato Castillo designed this bracelet and most of the 'onix negro' jewelry and objects along with much else, and he invented this unique to Los Castillo metalworking technique that they called 'onix negro' for black onyx combined with shiny silver, a high-contrast combination! The bracelet measures 1-3/8" wide at top, and fits up to a 7.5" wrist (snugly) presently, and could be sized by a professional by adding rings or other spacers at the hinged joints if desired. Weighs a hefty 75.2 grams total. Marked inside as shown, "Los Castillo Taxco" in a circle around the Eagle 15, "Onix Negro", and design number 60. This is only the second example of this design that I've seen in my 45+ year career, so definitely a rare one! Excellent vintage condition.
October 31, 2026 at 3:34 PM
patrickkapty.bsky.social
Chicomecóatl
goddess of agriculture and maize
carved stone
c. 1300-1521 CE
Aztec (Mexica) culture
Mexico

#handmade #carved #stone #chicomecoatl #goddess #agriculture #maize #motherearth #life #Aztec #Mexica #culture #Mexico #Mesoamerica #precolumbian #ancientart #art #sculpture #prehispanic #ritual
October 24, 2026 at 3:55 PM
sandymosho.bsky.social
The Art of Precolumbian Gold
Julie Jones; Justin Kerr
PDF · 32.4 MB

ed2k://|file|Jan%20Mitchell%20-%20The%20Art%20of%20Precolumbian%20Gold.%20The%20Jan%20Mitchell%20Collection.pdf|33928800|0CEB63DCF3F4E34D94D636BB55C0B36F|/
Portada de The Art of Precolumbian Gold
October 27, 2026 at 3:47 PM
rliblog.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Ocarina cupisnique (1200-500 a.C.) con un gran agujero en la espalda para soplar y otros cuatro en los costados para tapar con los dedos. 🏛️MET #musica #music #peru #precolombino #precolumbian
Ocarina con forma de torso y cabeza con las manos junto a la boca, como si estuviera asustado. Encima de la cabeza hay otra más pequeña.
October 30, 2026 at 8:13 PM
desarch.bsky.social
For the Maya, Culbert, T. Patrick and Don S. Rice (eds), 1990, Precolumbian Population History in the Maya Lowlands, University of New Mexico Press. is the first comprehensive look.

A more recent, lidar based study is: Estrada-Belli et al. Journal of Archaeological Science October 2025.
October 25, 2026 at 4:57 PM
drsabinemetzger.bsky.social
🦇 #BatsInArt #PreciousBats #PreColumbian #Tairona
#Colombia
Tairona artist
BAT PENDANT, ca. 1000 - 1550
Shell, openwork design
https://art.thewalters.org/object/72.33/
October 23, 2026 at 5:06 AM
rhinrm.bsky.social
Calling it Turtle Island instead of the Americas is my favorite larp and before anyone says "that's the indigenous name" no it's ONE indigenous name from one group, not a common precolumbian name
But also I wasn't joking it is my favorite larp, Turtle Island is way cooler than Italian cartographer
October 25, 2026 at 1:33 PM
patrickkapty.bsky.social
Lightning God K'awiil Incense Burner
ceramic, pigments
c. 600-850 CE
Maya culture
Late Classic Period
Palenque, Mexico

#handmade #precolumbian #mayaculture #palenque #lateclassicperiod #chiapas #mexico #mesoamerica #incenseburner #incensario #ritual #religion #ancientart #art #sculpture #Kawiil
A Late Classic Maya earthenware flanged censer base depicting the lightning god Kʼawiil, created in Tabasco, Mexico, between 600 and 850 CE. Features Kʼawiil, recognizable by the axe-like torch or celt rising from his forehead and his distinctive upturned snout. The central figure is flanked by twin intertwined serpents that curve along the sides. A large, fanged zoomorphic mask looms directly above the deity. Ancient priests burned copal incense inside these hollow ceramic stands, letting smoke curl through the sculpture to invoke the god during sacred ceremonies.
October 23, 2026 at 6:07 PM
jnanagarbha.bsky.social
The precolumbian sacrifices were to the god of grilled custard deserts.
October 22, 2026 at 2:59 PM
patrickkapty.bsky.social
Were-Jaguar Vessel
ceramic, pigments
c. 900-400 BCE
Chavin culture
Peru

#handmade #ceramic #pigments #stirrupspout #vessel #werejaguar #mythical #shaman #transformation #ChavinCulture #Peru #ritual #religion #belief #religiouspower #divineauthority #ancientart #art #precolumbian #prehispanic
October 20, 2026 at 5:26 PM
blaftrakesh.bsky.social
Everyone should read this. There are very few precolumbian books that exist--it is kind of a miracle that we even have it. Plus it's epic and crazy and funny and wild.

(*Ok technically the book was written down shortly AFTER the Spanish showed up, but the story is very precolumbian.)
ldnreadsworld.bsky.social London Reads the World book club @ldnreadsworld.bsky.social · 14d
Our November book will be Popol Vuh: The Mayan Book of the Dawn of Life and the Glories of Gods and Kings, translated from the Mayan in any of its editions. We'll be meeting to discuss on Monday 2nd November at 7pm UK time. All welcome - PM for the Zoom link!
The front cover of Popol Vuh: The Mayan Book of the Dawn of Life and the Glories of Gods and Kings, in an edition translated by Dennis Tedlock.
October 21, 2026 at 5:51 AM
jnanagarbha.bsky.social
Things clearly gearing up in a big way for the Day of the Dead.
There’s a whole avenue of massive vibrant papier-mâché things - mostly weird hybrid animal monsters informed by precolumbian culture, must be over 100 of them and all very vibrantly coloured.
October 22, 2026 at 12:30 PM
patrickkapty.bsky.social
Tlaloc God Figure
carved volcanic stone
c. 1300-1521 CE
Aztec (Mexica) culture
Mexico

#handmade #carved #volcanic #stone #Tlaloc #raingod #god #fertility #agriculture #HeWhoMakesThingsSprout #precolumbian #mesoamerica #prehispanic #Aztec #Mexica #Mexico #ancientart #art #sculpture #religion #belief
Tlaloc is one of the oldest and most widely worshipped deities in Mesoamerica. Meaning "He Who Makes Things Sprout" or "In the Earth" in Classical Nahuatl, he was the supreme Aztec god of rain, water, storms, fertility, and agriculture. While central to the Aztec pantheon during the Postclassic period (1300–1521 CE), his origins trace back much further to earlier cultures. He shares common roots with the rain god representations at ancient Teotihuacan (dating to 100 BCE), the Maya god Chaac, and the Zapotec god Cocijo.
October 20, 2026 at 5:15 PM
patrickkapty.bsky.social
#precolumbian #art #sculpture #Jaguar #god #underworld #cubs #Nebaj #Quiche #Guatemala #prehispanic #ancientart #ceramic #earthenware #pigments #lid #urn #burial #religion #belief #ritual
bvzw.bsky.social Bart van Zwieten @bvzw.bsky.social · 16d
This ceramic piece shows the Jaguar God of the Underworld with two cubs. Found in Nebaj, Quiche, Guatemala, it dates from 250 CE to 900 CE. It served as a ritual lid for a large funerary urn. The piece originally bore bright pigments that deteriorated during long burial in humid highland soil.
October 18, 2026 at 1:52 PM
patrickkapty.bsky.social
Ritual Figure Holding a Were-Jaguar Baby
carved jade
c. 900-300 BCE
Olmec culture
Mexico

The missing leg may have been removed as part of a ritual. Perhaps a price paid for a favor granted?

#handmade #carved #bluegreen #jade #Olmec #ritual #werejaguar #religion #precolumbian #ancientart #art #baby
"Standing Figure Holding a Were-Jaguar Baby," Olmec, c. 900-300 BCE Kimbell Art Museum Created by the Olmecs, Mesoamerica's earliest civilization and mother culture, this sculpture offers a glimpse into their beliefs. A male figure, possibly a ruler, holds a were-jaguar baby, a supernatural creature that is part human and part jaguar. 7y The baby is linked to the Olmec Supernatural, a powerful god associated with rain and abundant maize. For the Olmecs, finely carved jade figures like this were more than works of art. They were powerful ritual objects, and scholars believe the ruler's left leg may have been deliberately broken as part of a ceremonial practice. Perhaps a price paid for a favor granted?
October 18, 2026 at 2:15 PM
latamrob.bsky.social
Traditional Nahua culture and belief have much to tell the modern world. Reviews: Flickering Creations: Concepts of Nahua Precious Art, and The Bundle: Unwrapping Nahua Religious Traditions #Bookreviews #Mexico #Nahua #Indigenous #PreColumbian latamrob.substack.com/p/ancient-in...
Ancient influencers
Traditional Nahua culture and belief have much to tell the modern world. Reviews: Flickering Creations: Concepts of Nahua Precious Art, and The Bundle: Unwrapping Nahua Religious Traditions
latamrob.substack.com
October 18, 2026 at 10:22 AM
patrickkapty.bsky.social
Incense Burner
earthenware, paint
c. 350-500 CE
Maya culture
Guatemala

Depicts a supernatural figure or ancestor emerging into the world from inside a spiny conch shell.

#handmade #earthenware #incenseburner #Maya #Guatemala #precolumbian #prehispanic #ancientart #art #sculpture #waltersartmuseum
A Maya earthenware Incense Burner from the Middle Classic period (350–500 AD). This incense burner unites a Teotihuacan ritual object with a Maya mythological narrative. It features a supernatural being, perhaps a deified ancestor, emerging from a large shell that symbolizes the entrance into the watery underworld. The figure grasps the edge of the shell with his left hand to aid his emergence into the human realm. He wears a three-strand necklace of round beads; a smaller version of the shell from which he rises dangles on his chest. His upper arms, too, are adorned with one shell each, and double strands of small beads decorate each wrist. The yellow paint of his jewelry may indicate that all were fashioned from shell. The narrative lid sits atop a base embellished with the trapezoidal nose adornment typical of the Teotihuacan elite, and large earflares are attached to each flange at the base's sides. The base held the burning coals and incense, the smoke rising into the lid and issuing from large holes at either end of the shell. In Classic Maya iconography, the conch shell is a profoundly sacred symbol carrying deep cosmic, spiritual, and functional meanings. Its symbolism fundamentally ties into the cycle of life, the structure of the cosmos, and communication with the divine. Because conch shells originate from the ocean, the Maya inextricably linked them to the primeval waters that existed before the earth was formed, as well as Xibalba, the watery Maya underworld. The spiraling cavity of the shell was viewed as a physical passage to this subterranean realm, serving as a boundary between the surface world and the deep unknown. In Maya cosmology, the shell is a womb-like symbol of birth, renewal, and creation. Figures depicted emerging from a conch shell signify ancestors or deities transitioning out of the underworld or primordial realms to manifest into the living world.
October 17, 2026 at 2:10 PM
drsabinemetzger.bsky.social
🦇 #BatsInArt #PreciousBats #PreColumbian #CostaRica #DiquisCulture #FineJewellery
Greater Chiriqui artist
BAT PENDANT, 700 - 1550 CE
Gold
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/309126
October 16, 2026 at 3:54 AM
patrickkapty.bsky.social
Were Jaguar Mask Pendant
carved mottled jade
c. 900-400 BCE
Olmec culture
Arroyo Pesquero, Veracruz, Mexico

#handmade #carved #jade #mask #Pendant #jewelry #afterlife #werejaguar #Olmecculture #Mexico #Mesoamerica #precolumbian #prehispanic #ancientart #art #sculpture #Olmecjewelry #ancientjewelry
October 15, 2026 at 7:04 PM
mayorseidel.bsky.social
BUT EMMA, is this not just idealism? Good question! It could be downstream of domesticating animals but that’s much less central to the means of subsistence in the precolumbian Americas.
October 16, 2026 at 12:28 AM