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Mesoamerican Three Part Special on pre-Aztec Teotihuacan
Ancient Art and Pop Culture Revival of Teotihuacan
The Teotihuacan art style can be defined as elegant,
refined, highly stylized, and ordered. The most common representations of their
art style is found in pottery, sculptures, and paintings.
Pottery
The most recognizable Teotihuacan pottery is cylindrical
with three slab-shaped feet, a design that was most likely adopted from the
Gulf Coast cultures, such as the Olmec. These pots generally have fitted lids
with bird-shaped handles. Thin orange ware, also common in other Mesoamerican pottery
styles, was also produced. These, however, take the form of bowls with annular
bases, boxes with lids, or effigies of little dogs. Incense burners are
abundant amongst the recovered artifacts which suggest that the Teotihuacanos
favored cremation upon moving into the afterlife. These containers are largely
polychromed and have mold-made details.
Sculpture
The best representations of Teotihuacano sculptures are stone masks made from Greenstone, Basalt, Jade, Andesite, or other materials and adorned with shells or Obsidian.
Paintings
The Teotihuacanos used the technique fresco to create magnificent murals on temples and residency walls. Their technique of "true fresco" consists of diluted pigments applied to a fresh layer of lime and often times a silicate, such as mica, was added to the pigments to increase the vivacious tones.
Pop Culture
Today, Teotihuacan is still very much alive. Teotihuacan symbols and deities live on in popular culture in many ways, shapes, and forms. A common sight is tattoos of Tlaloc and the Feathered Serpent. Deities are manifested in trading card games, such as Yu-Gi-Oh. Thousands of people visit Teotihuacan every day climbing the pyramids and looking down on the world as if they had a little bit of Teotihuacano hidden deep down inside. Archaeology is rooted in every culture and it is our job to make sure the stories stay very much alive.
Paintings
The Teotihuacanos used the technique fresco to create magnificent murals on temples and residency walls. Their technique of "true fresco" consists of diluted pigments applied to a fresh layer of lime and often times a silicate, such as mica, was added to the pigments to increase the vivacious tones.
Pop Culture
Today, Teotihuacan is still very much alive. Teotihuacan symbols and deities live on in popular culture in many ways, shapes, and forms. A common sight is tattoos of Tlaloc and the Feathered Serpent. Deities are manifested in trading card games, such as Yu-Gi-Oh. Thousands of people visit Teotihuacan every day climbing the pyramids and looking down on the world as if they had a little bit of Teotihuacano hidden deep down inside. Archaeology is rooted in every culture and it is our job to make sure the stories stay very much alive.
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Works Cited.
Coe, Michael D. and Rex Koontz. (2008) Mexico: from the Olmecs to the Aztecs. 6th Ed. New York: Thames and Hudson.
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