This mesa in New Mexico is believed to hold one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in the US.
Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank
The Yup’ik peoples, in one of the world’s coldest climates, made these ceremonial masks during the long winters.
Embodying the forces of nature: the North ...
Located in a high desert, Chaco’s residents dedicated much of their energy to controlling water for crops.
Chaco Canyon: urban center of the Ancestral ...
Remarkable structures in the American Southwest were home to cliff-dwelling farmers until around 1300.
Mesa Verde: carving a home from the ...
The artist used Spanish coins as models for the coats of arms woven into this basket in California, then New Spain.
When California was Spanish: Native Americans in ...
Both Europe and the Americas were forever changed by Columbus’ accidental landing in the Caribbean in 1492.
Introduction to the Spanish Viceroyalties in the ...
Japanese objects came through Mexico on their way to Spain, and had a lasting impact on the arts of the New World.
Screen with the Siege of Belgrade and ...
Stretching from Europe to the Philippines, the Spanish Empire amassed great wealth—and spent lavishly on art.
The Renaissance in Spain
This multimedia architectural altarpiece took two decades to complete, and required teams of workers in many media.
Jerónimo de Balbás, Altar of the Kings (Altar ...
Why are these murals in the cloister of Acolman painted in only black and white?
Murals from New Spain, San Agustín de ...
The Conceptionists were founded for elite, pure-blooded Spanish women. This nun just took her vows.
Crowned Nun Portrait of Sor María de ...
Located in a high desert, Chaco’s residents dedicated much of their energy to controlling water for crops.
Introduction to Chaco Canyon
The sculptor Martínez Montañés was the “God of Wood,” but it’s the painter Pacheco who brought this work to life.
Juan Martínez Montañés and Francisco Pacheco, Christ ...
The Mexica people formed their capital when they saw the sign they had been promised: an eagle perched on a cactus.
Introduction to the Aztecs (Mexica)
Archaeological sites are under constant threat from human and natural forces.
Mesa Verde and the preservation of Ancestral ...
The severe exterior of this palace complex belies its highly decorative interior, once filled with art.
El Escorial, Spain
“Native American” is a broad term encompassing many diverse groups—learn how we organize this section.
About geography and chronological periods in Native ...
Too many assumptions persist about Native American arts and cultures—start here to disentangle fact from fiction.
Terms and Issues in Native American Art
The Spanish destroyed the main Aztec temple: an expression of spiritual and political conquest.
Unearthing the Aztec past, the destruction of ...
Mesoamerica was anything but homogenous—people in this region spoke more than 125 different languages!