pre-Columbian

(noun)

Refers to the inhabitants, societies, and culture of the Americas prior to European contact, colonization, and influence; literally "pre-(Christopher)Columbus."

Related Terms

  • Eurasia
  • Mesoamerica
  • Paleo-Indians
  • indigenous peoples
  • New World
  • aquaculture
  • pottery

Examples of pre-Columbian in the following topics:

  • The Mixteca-Puebla Tradition

    • The Mixteca-Puelba tradition of artistry originates from the pre-Columbian Mixtec peoples from the region of Puebla, Mesoamerica.
    • In pre-Columbian times, the region was inhabited by people of many ethnicities, including the Mixteca.
    • The temples of a Pre-Columbian Maya walled city are situated on 12-meter tall cliffs in Tulum in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico; a mural can still be seen on the eastern wall that resembles the Mixteca-Puebla style of art.
  • Machu Picchu

    • Often referred to as the "City of the Incas," Machu Picchu is one of the most significant pre-Columbian Inca sites in Peru.
    • Machu Picchu is a pre-Columbian 15th-century Inca site located in the Cuzco Region of Peru, South America .
  • Sculpture of the Aztecs

    • Obsidian mirrors in pre-Columbian times were fashioned from stone and served a number of uses, from decorative to spiritual.
  • The Spanish Conquest and Its Effects on Incan Art

    • It is estimated that parts of the empire, notably the Central Andes, suffered a population decline amounting to a staggering 93% of the pre-Columbian population by 1591.
    • Pizarro, the Spanish explorer and conquistador who was responsible for destroying much of the city of Cusco in 1535, built a new European-style city over pre-colonial foundations.
    • Most of the paintings were completed anonymously, a result of Pre-Columbian traditions that viewed art as a communal undertaking.
  • Architecture of the Aztecs

    • Aztec architecture refers to pre-Columbian architecture of the Aztec civilization, a civilization that dominated central Mexico in the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries.
    • Founded in 1325, it became the largest city in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica until it was captured by the Spanish in 1521.
  • Architecture of the Inca

    • The Inca Empire was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America.
    • Incan architecture is the most significant pre-Columbian architecture in South America.
    • Pizarro, the Spanish explorer and conquistador, sacked much of the city in 1535 during the Spanish invasion and built a new city over pre-colonial foundations.
    • Because of its antiquity and importance, the center of the city retains many buildings, plazas, and streets from both pre-colonial and colonial periods.
  • Cultures of Mesoamerica

    • Mesoamerica was dominated by 3 cultures in the Pre-Classical (up to 200CE) to Post-Classical periods (circa 1580 CE): the Olmec, Maya, and Aztec.
    • There are three cultures that dominated the pre-columbian history of Mesoamerica: the Olmec, Maya, and Aztec civilizations.
    • The Olmec civilization, which flourished from 1200–400 BCE, defines the Pre-Classical period; the Olmecs are generally considered the forerunner of all later Mesoamerica cultures including the Maya and Aztecs.
  • Architecture in Early South America

    • Chavín de Huántar and Tiwanaku were important ceremonial centers in pre-Inca South America.
    • Chavín de Huántar is an archaeological site containing ruins and artifacts constructed c. 1200 BCE and occupied by later cultures until around 400-500 BCE by the Chavín, a major pre-Inca culture.
    • Tiwanaku is an important Pre-Columbian archaeological site in western Bolivia.
  • Ceramics in Early South America

    • The shift from post-fire resin painting to pre-fire slip painting marked the end of Paracas-style pottery and the beginning of Nazca-style pottery.
    • The Nazca, like all other Pre-Columbian societies in South America including the Inca, had no writing system, in contrast to the contemporary Maya of Mesoamerica.
  • Spanish Art in the Americas

    • Most of the paintings were completed anonymously, a result of Pre-Columbian traditions that viewed art as a communal undertaking.
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