Native American Cultures

Mesoamerica & the Olmec

Film Assignment - Cracking the Maya Code

Colossal Head
La Venta, Mexico

c. 900-400 BCE

Olmec

Map of the Tuxtla Mountains and Olmec Settlements

Colossal Head During Excavation

Olmec Rubber Ball

Jadeite Mask

c. 900-400 BCE

Olmec

Example of later Maya jade carving

Teotihuacán
México

c. 50-250 CE

Map of Teotihuacán within Modern Mexico

Archaeological Map of the Teotihuacán Excavation

Architectural Model of Teotihuacán

Model of the Pyramid of the Sun

Rendering of the Pyramid of the Moon

The Astrological Features of Teotihuacan

The Pyramid of the Sun seen from the Pyramid of the Moon

Aerial view of both Pyramids and the Avenue of the Dead

Ball Court
Copán, Honduras

738 CE, Mayan

Xochicalco Ballcourt

Basic Design of the Mesoamerican Ballcourt

Ballgame Hoop

The Myth of the Hero Twins

Mural from El Tajín depicting Human Sacrifice

Reviving the Mesoamerican Ball Game

Castillo
Chichén Itzá, Mexico

c. 800-900 CE, Maya

Inside El Castillo

Temple of the Giant Jaguar
Tikal, Guatemala

c. 732 CE, Maya

Walking through Tikal

Tikal Aerial View

Tikal Revealed by LiDAR

LiDAR Mapping of Tikal

LiDAR Mapping of Tikal

LiDAR Mapping of Tikal

Pueblo Bonito
Chaco Canyon, New Mexico

mid-9th to mid-11th century CE, Ancestral Puebloan

Pueblo Bonito Site Plan

Artist's Rendering of Pueblo Bonito

Cliff Palace
Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

c. 1150-1300 CE, Ancestral Puebloan

Artist's Rendering of Cliff Palace

Western Misinformation on Native Contact

The Reality of Pocahontas