MESOAMERICAN ART ARH 347L Unique #20225/LAS 327 Unique #40445 Spring 2017 Dr. Julia Guernsey (email: j.guernsey@austin.utexas.edu) Office hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 11:00 AM 12:15 PM or by appointment, DFA 2.514 Teaching Assistant: Elliot Lopez-Finn (elliot.lopezfinn@gmail.com) Office hours: Tuesdays 11 AM 12:00 PM, ART 1.412C Class: Tuesdays/Thursdays 12:30-2:00 ART 1.120 Course Description and Goals: This course surveys the art, architecture, and material culture of a number of the ancient civilizations of Precolumbian Mesoamerica, which flourished in what are now the modern countries of Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras. The course spans the time of the Olmec through that of the Aztecs, or from the 2 nd millennium BC until the arrival of the Spanish in 1519. The goal of this course is to provide students with a general knowledge of the history, ritual traditions, and belief systems of ancient Mesoamericans, as expressed through sculpture, painting, architecture, archaeological remains, and ancient writing systems. This course carries the Global Cultures flag. Global Cultures courses are designed to increase your familiarity with cultural groups outside the United States. You should therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from assignments covering the practices, beliefs, and histories of at least one non-u.s. cultural group, past or present. Required text: Michael D. Coe and Rex Koontz, Mexico: From the Olmecs to the Aztecs, 7 th ed. This text is available for purchase in the bookstore and is also on reserve in the Benson Latin American Collection. Assigned readings for each week are listed on the schedule below. Also, the schedule contains a list of suggested readings from books that have been placed on reserve in the Benson Latin American Collection (the complete citations for these suggested texts appear on the last page of the syllabus), or readings that have been posted to Canvas. These are designed to supplement the information presented in class lectures. The suggested readings are not mandatory, but may provide useful review information and images. Class map/website: A map and website designed for review and study purposes exists for this class at: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?hl=en&hl=en&authuser=0&authuser=0&mid=1mtjhxe5_phna1y6bct AvtbsUT7U&ll=17.652939822266298%2C-92.84067449550781&z=6 It shows the location of major sites discussed in class, a summary of main ideas, and photos of pertinent materials. Canvas: Please make sure to check Canvas for assigned readings, assignments, and supplemental materials noted on the schedule below. Assessment: Assessment of a student s progress within this course will be accomplished through two exams, one assignment focused on the theme of sacrifice, and one paper that requires group participation. Exams: There will be two exams, each worth 25% of your final grade. The exams will consist of fill-inthe-blank and short answer questions, image identifications and comparisons, and essays. Exams will require the student to 1) recognize and demonstrate an understanding of the various objects of art covered in class through discussion, comparison, and contrast and 2) go beyond memorization and synthesize ideas presented in class and drawn from assigned readings. There will be no makeup exams; if a student misses an exam, a zero will be given unless a valid medical excuse is provided. Assignment on the theme of sacrifice: This assignment will be worth 15% of your final grade. It involves a 1-2 page reading response that discusses the theme of sacrifice in ancient Mesoamerica and involves cross-cultural comparison and consideration. The assignment is designed to allow students to develop critical thinking skills, relate ideas presented in class with those drawn from an assigned reading, and address a complex theme that resonates across many cultures. Blanton research paper: This paper is worth 25% of your final grade. Each student will submit a final, independently written research paper of at least 3 pages in length. Research and preparation for it will involve collaborative group research, and a group discussion surrounding the assigned object at 1
the Blanton Museum of art. This paper is designed to allow students to apply knowledge used in class to an independent research project, expose them to the research process and scholarly sources, provide them with the opportunity to do original research on an object currently on display at the Blanton Museum of Art and contextualize it within the cultural history of Mesoamerica. Although the final paper is an individual endeavor, students will work on research as a group and visit the Blanton and engage in discussion of the object with their assigned group. Attendance and Participation: Attendance will be taken on a daily basis, and since exam material will be drawn primarily from class lectures, discussions, and debates, it is very important to attend all lectures if you intend to fare well in this class. Attendance and participation will count for 10% of your final grade. Grading: Plus/minus grades will be used for determining the final grade in this course. Accommodations for religious holidays: By UT Austin policy, you must notify me of your pending absence at least fourteen days prior to the date of observance of a religious holy day. If you must miss a class, an examination, a work assignment, or a project in order to observe a religious holy day, you will be given an opportunity to complete the missed work within a reasonable time after the absence. Students with disabilities may request appropriate academic accommodations from the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, Services for Students with Disabilities, 471-6259, http://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/ssd/ Schedule of lectures, assigned readings, exams, and assignments: January 17: Introduction: what is Mesoamerica? Assigned reading: Coe and Koontz 9-17, 26-38 January 19: EARLY PRECLASSIC: 1500-900 BC The appearance of the Olmec at the site of San Lorenzo; Olmec sculpture, celts and concepts of rulership/maize Assigned reading: Coe and Koontz 59-72 Suggested reading: Princeton University Art Museum, The Olmec World: 11-45 January 24: Discuss Blanton Research Paper; Walk, as a class, to see the Olmec head at the Benson Library. For map/directions see: https://www.lib.utexas.edu/benson/about January 26: MIDDLE PRECLASSIC: 900-300 BC The Olmec site of La Venta: construction of sacred space; underpinnings for divine kingship Assigned reading: Coe and Koontz 72-77 Suggested reading: Freidel, Schele and Parker, Maya Cosmos: 132-137 January 31 The Middle Preclassic sites of Chalcatzingo and Oxtotitlán Suggested reading: Coe and Koontz 80-93; David Grove, Faces of the Earth at Chalcatzingo, Mexico: Serpents, Caves, and Mountains in Middle Formative Period Iconography, in Olmec Art and Archaeology in Mesoamerica, eds. John E. Clark and Mary E. Pye, pp. 277-295 (a PDF of this essay is on Canvas) February 2: The Middle Preclassic site of La Blanca, Guatemala Suggested reading: Michael Love and Julia Guernsey, Monument 3 from La Blanca, Guatemala: A Middle Preclassic earthen sculpture and its ritual associations, Antiquity 81 (2007): 920-932 (a PDF of this essay is on Canvas as well as several images from La Blanca for study/review purposes). Also suggested: Report on 2005 excavations at La Blanca by Love and Guernsey at http://www.famsi.org/reports/05051/index.html 2
February 7: LATE PRECLASSIC: 300 BC - 250 AD The organization of sacred space at Izapa Assigned reading: Coe and Koontz 99-102 Suggested reading: Guernsey, Ritual and Power in Stone, chapters 4 and 5; also Guernsey, Sacred Geography at Izapa and the Performance of Rulership, in Koontz, Reese-Taylor, and Headrick (editors), Landscape and Power in Ancient Mesoamerica, pp. 81-111. February 9: Izapa and performance Suggested reading: Guernsey, Ritual and Power in Stone, chapters 4, 5, and 6 February 14: West Mexico Assigned reading: Coe and Koontz 54-58; Suggested reading: peruse the exhibition catalogue and essays in Townsend (editor), Ancient West Mexico February 16: No lecture. Only those students in Research Groups 1-5 are required to meet at the Blanton Art Museum to view their assigned objects. For map/directions, see: http://blantonmuseum.org/welcome/ February 21: No lecture. Only those students in Research Groups 6-10 are required to meet at the Blanton Art Museum to view their assigned objects. For map/directions, see http://blantonmuseum.org/welcome/ February 23: The Valley of Oaxaca and the Zapotecs: Monte Albán and Dainzú Assigned reading: Coe and Koontz 43-44, 93-99 (Several images for study/review purposes of related rituals from Guerrero are posted to Canvas) Suggested reading: Flannery and Marcus, The Cloud People: 87-90; the essay by Heather Orr, Procession Rituals and Shrine Sites: The Politics of Sacred Space in the Late Formative Valley of Oaxaca, in Koontz, Reese-Taylor, and Headrick (editors), Landscape and Power in Ancient Mesoamerica, pp. 55-79. February 28: Review for First Exam March 2: EXAM ONE March 7: THE CLASSIC PERIOD 250-900 AD: THE VALLEY OF MEXICO &: TEOTIHUACAN Teotihuacan architecture and sacred space Assigned reading: Coe and Koontz 44-53, 103-124 Suggested reading: Berrin and Pasztory (editors), Teotihuacan: Art from the City of the Gods: 16-43; peruse catalogue entries March 9: Teotihuacan: the Temple of the Feathered Serpent and the iconography of warfare Suggested reading: Saburo Sugiyama s essay Rulership, Warfare, and Human Sacrifice at the Ciudadela in Berlo (editor) Art, Ideology, and the City of Teotihuacan: 205-230 March 14 and 16: Spring Break March 21: Teotihuacan and its relationship to the Zapotec region Suggested reading: Michael Spence s essay Tlailotlacan, a Zapotec Enclave in Teotihuacan in Berlo (editor) Art, Ideology, and the City of Teotihuacan: 59-88; also see the following in Berrin and Pasztory (editors) Teotihuacan: Art from the City of the Gods: cat. no. 175 on p. 152, and cat. entries 174 and 175 on pages 270-271; also Flannery and Marcus, The Cloud People: 175-181. March 23: The Valley of Oaxaca in the Classic and Post-Classic periods: Monte Albán, Mitla and Cerro de la Campana Assigned reading: Coe and Koontz 128-135, 152-153, 181-183 Suggested reading: Flannery and Marcus, The Cloud People: 186, 191-197; John Pohl, The Lintel Paintings of Mitla and the Function of the Mitla Palaces, in Kowalski (editor) Mesoamerican 3
Architecture as a Cultural Symbol, pp. 176-197; for Cerro de la Campana peruse Miller and Dávalos s book: The painted tombs of Oaxaca, Mexico: Living with the Dead March 28: The Mesoamerican ballgame Suggested reading: Schele and Miller, Blood of Kings: 241-264; essays by Filloy Nadal, Miller, and Matos Moctezuma in Whittington s The Sport of Life and Death, pp. 21-31, 79-95 March 30: Cacao & Chocolate in Mesoamerica Suggest reading: Cameron L. McNeil, Introduction: The Biology, Antiquity, and Modern Uses of the Chocolate Tree (Theobroma cacao L.) (a PDF of this essay is on Canvas) BLANTON PAPERS DUE April 4: TERMINAL CLASSIC PERIOD 800-900 AD Chichén Itzá Suggested reading: Schele and Mathews, Code of Kings: 197-256 April 6: EPI-CLASSIC PERIOD: 900-1200 AD Tula and Cacaxtla Assigned reading: Coe and Koontz 160-180, 147-149; Cynthia Kristan-Graham, The Architecture of the Tula Body Politic in Kowalski (editor) Mesoamerican Architecture as a Cultural Symbol, pp. 162-175; for Cacaxtla, peruse Brittenham, The Murals of Cacaxtla: the Power of Painting in Ancient Central Mexico April 11: POSTCLASSIC PERIOD: 1200-1521 AD The Aztecs: Tenochtitlan and the Templo Mayor Assigned reading: Coe and Koontz 193-232 Sacrifice Assignment discussed and handed out April 13: The Aztecs: sculpture Suggested reading: Townsend, The Aztecs: especially pp. 101-104; 132-144; April 18: The Aztecs and sacrifice discussion day SACRIFICE ASSIGNMENT DUE April 20: The Aztecs: Malinalco and gardens of Texcotzingo Assigned reading: Coe and Koontz: 220-224 Suggested readings: Manuel Aguilar, excerpt on Malinalco from Aztec Architecture; Susan Toby Evans, The Garden of the Aztec Philosopher-King (both PDFs posted on Canvas) April 25: The Conquest Assigned reading: Coe and Koontz 233-239 Suggested reading: Townsend, The Aztecs: 35-42 April 27: Edgewalker video and course evaluations May 2: Review for 2 nd exam May 4: EXAM TWO 4
List of books for suggested reading or for research papers on reserve in the Benson Latin American Collection Library: Berlo, Janet Catherine, editor. 1992. Art, Ideology, and the City of Teotihuacan. Washington, DC: Dumbarton Oaks. F 1219.1 t27 A73 1992 Berrin, Kathleen and Virginia M. Fields. 2010. Olmec: Colossal Masterworks of Ancient Mexico. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art. F 1219.8 O56 O49 2010 Berrin, Kathleen, and Esther Pasztory, editors. 1993. Teotihuacan: Art from the City of the Gods. London: Thames and Hudson. F 1219.1 T27 T463 1993 Blanton, Richard E., Gary M Feinman, Stephen A. Kowalexki, and Linda M. Nichaols. 1999. Ancient Oaxaca. New York: Cambridge University Press. F 1219.1 O11 A53 1999 Brittenham, Claudia. 2015. The Murals of Cacaxtla: the Power of Painting in Ancient Central Mexico. Austin: University of Texas Press. F 1435.1 C32 B75 2015 Brumfiel, Elizabeth M. and Gary M. Feinman. 2008. The Aztec World. New York: Abrams. F 1219.73 A98 2008 Butterwick, Kristi. 2004. Heritage of Power: Ancient Sculpture from West Mexico: the Andrall E. Pearson Family Collection. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. F 1219.3 S38 B88 2004 Coe, Michael D. and Rex Koontz. Mexico: From the Olmecs to the Aztecs, 7 th edition. London: Thames and Hudson. F 1219.7 C63 2013 Flannery, Kent V. and Joyce Marcus. 1983. The Cloud People: Divergent Evolution of the Zapotec and Mixtec Civilizations. New York: Academic Press. F1219.8 Z37 C56 1983 Freidel, David, Linda Schele, and Joy Parker. 1993. Maya Cosmos: Three Thousand Years on the Shaman s Path. New York: William Morrow. F1435.3 R3 F74 1993 Guernsey, Julia. 2006. Ritual and Power in Stone: The Performance of Rulership in Mesoamerican Izapan Style Art. Austin: University of Texas Press. F 1435.1 I93 G84 2006 Guernsey, John E. Clark, and Barbara Arroyo, editors. The Place of Stone Monuments: Context, Use, and Meaning in Mesoamerica s Preclassic Transition. Washington, DC: Dumbarton Oaks. F 1219 P685 2010 Koontz, Rex, Kathryn Reese-Taylor, and Annabeth Headrick, editors. 2001. Landscape and Power in Ancient Mesoamerica. Boulder: Westview Press. F1219.3 A6 L36 2001 Kowalski, Jeff Karl, editor. 1999. Mesoamerican Architecture as a Cultural Symbol. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press. F 1219.3 A6 M48 1999 McEwan, Colin and Leonardo López Luján. 2009. Moctezuma: Aztec Ruler. London: The British Museum. F 1219.73 M63 2009 Miller, Arthur G., and Felipe Dávalos. The painted tombs of Oaxaca, Mexico: living with the dead. Cambridge University Press, 1995. F 1219.8 Z37 M55 1995 Miller, Mary and Simon Martin. 2004. Courtly Art of the Ancient Maya. San Francisco: Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. F 1435 M55 2004 Pasztory, Esther. 1998. Aztec Art. Norman: Oklahoma Press. Q- F 1219.76 A78 P37 1983 Princeton University Art Museum. The Olmec World: Ritual and Rulership. 1995. Exhibition catalogue. Princeton University. F 1219.8 O56 O55 1995 Schele, Linda and Peter Mathews. 1998. The Code of Kings: The Language of Seven Sacred Maya Temples and Tombs. New York: Scribner. F1435.3 A6 S34 1998 Schele, Linda and Mary Ellen Miller. 1986. The Blood of Kings: Dynasty and Ritual in Maya Art. Fort Worth: Kimbell Art Museum. F1435.3 A7 S34 1986B Taube, Karl A. 2004. Olmec Art at Dumbarton Oaks. Washington, DC: Dumbarton Oaks. F 1219.8 O56 T38 2004 Townsend, Richard F. 1992. The Aztecs. London: Thames and Hudson. F 1219.73 T68 1992 Townsend, Richard F., editor. 1998. Ancient West Mexico: Art and Archaeology of the Unknown Past. London and Chicago: Thames and Hudson and the Art Institute of Chicago. F 1219 A7 A53 1998 Whittington, E. Michael, editor. 2001. The Sport of Life and Death: The Mesoamerican Ballgame. New York: Thames and Hudson. F1219.3 G3 S66 2001 5