Characterizes ancient Mexican art through black-and-white reproductions of original motifs discovered in archaeological digs

Numerous primitive designs from early Mexican cultures are reproduced to demonstrate native decorative ingenuity and inspire modern artists and designers

This fascinating book is the product of intensive scholarly research, its exacting illustrations based on choice examples of Mexican Indian textiles in many different museums and private collections. Incorporating abstract and geometric forms as well as highly stylized images of flowers, plants, animals, birds, and humans, the patterns represent more than 20 major Mexican Indian cultures. Among the designs are a two-faced feathered serpent from the Huichol culture, an allover pattern dominated by horizontal zigzags woven by the Otomí, and a flower and leaf design from the Tepehua. The Huasteco people are represented by a bold motif featuring prancing animals with bushy tails; a Nahuatl design depicts a lion with a flower in his mouth; while an elegant curvilinear Mazatec motif features flowers, vines, and birds. Other peoples whose art is represented include the Tarahumara, Tepecano, Mestizo, Zapotec, Mixteco, and Cuicatec. In the bold, startling designs originated by these cultures are primal links to the imagery of other cultures and traditions, centuries old and worldwide. Artists, designers, and craftspeople will value this modestly priced collection as a source of striking and unusual royalty-free designs for inspiration and practical use; anyone interested in Mexican Indian culture will find it an important reference as well.

Rich in mythology and art, the Aztec civilization dominated central Mexico during the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth centuries. This handsome volume contains 42 pages of authentic Aztec designs derived from ceramics, statues, altars, shields, books, and other priceless artifacts. Gods, rulers, warriors, slaves, animals, and activities both secular and sacred are brilliantly rendered by Wilson G. Turner, a skilled artist/archaeologist and a specialist in pre-Columbian archaeology. Brief captions identify each image. Artists, designers, and illustrators will find in Aztec Designs a wealth of ideas and inspiration for a myriad of projects. Colorists will enjoy adding their own conceptions of color to these ancient motifs.

authentic Maya designs, from murals, vases, codexes, instruments, glyphs, etc.—all with informative captions.

Alive with visual renderings of kings, warriors, tribal ceremonies, and mystical journeys, ancient codices told stories through pictures. Rich with the flavor of Latin American folk art, this collection spotlights 366 color and black-and-white designs.

The Indians of ancient Ecuador decorated their clay spindles and beads with brilliantly realized images, many of which were drawn from their everyday lives. This collection includes 282 of these pre-Columbian designs (500–1500 a.d.), among them rich representations of people, mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, plants, heads, geometric designs and more.

First republication of remarkable repainting of great Mexican codex, dated to ca. AD 1400. 76 large full-color plates show gods, kings, warriors, mythical creatures, and abstract designs. Introduction.