Ancient American Art and Architecture

An introduction to the art and architecture of the Americas before the Spanish Conquest. The course surveys a diverse range of cultures including Native Americans of the Southeast, Southwest, and Plains regions of the United States; the Olmec, Teotihuacan, Maya, and Aztec of Mesoamerica; and Andean empires from Chavin through the Inca. Analysis takes an interdisciplinary approach to examine the form, function, and symbolism of Ancient-American art and architecture and its role in the construction and maintenance of political power, religious belief and practice, concepts of space, and bodily performance. Slide presentations, lectures and discussion. This course satisfies the Core Curriculum requirement in Cultural Perspectives.

St. Mary’s College of Maryland reserves the right to provide some or all of the course content through alternative methods of course delivery, including remote methods of delivery, and it reserves the right to change the method of delivery at any time before or during the academic term, in the event of a health or safety emergency or similar situation when it determines, in its sole discretion, that such change is necessary and in the best interests of the College and the campus community.