America is a continent with great influence, particularly influenced by the cultures that inhabited the continent before the Spanish colonized america, these cultures are influential not only for our continent if not also for the whole world, but if we focus on Mesoamerican cultures which are:

The Olmecs

The Olmec culture was an ancient civilization that lived in pre-Columbian lowland south-central Mexico, during the Middle Preclassic Mesoamerica, approximately in the Mexican state of Veracruz and Tabasco on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. The Olmec culture had a very wide influence as his works of art in this civilization are also found in El Salvador. The Olmecs were developed between 1200 BC to about 400 BC. C. And by many historians is considered the mother of the cultures and civilizations of Mesoamerica.

The main forms of the Olmec art that survive despite centuries monumental works are the lytic and small works made of precious stones. Much Olmec art is highly stylized and uses an iconography that reflects a religious significance. However, some of the works of art of the Olmecs are surprisingly naturalistic, exhibiting any accuracy relative to human anatomy, probably only just matched by Mesoamerican art of the Mayan culture. Common reasons include eye drops and Mongols mouths, both men viewed as representations of jaguars

Besides human subjects in their art, Olmec artisans dedicated their representation to animals, for example, fish-shaped vessels and poultry. While figures are found abundantly in Olmec Olmec centers dating from the formative period are the stone monuments as colossal heads of the Olmec culture.

Olmec Colossal Heads:

The more long-recognized aspect of the Olmec civilization are the enormous colossal heads (lithic art of the Olmecs), covered with what look like helmets. These monumental works have been the subject of much speculation as to its creation and function that were previously considered representations of ball game players (Olmec ritual ball game), but is now believed to be portraits of Olmec rulers. To date Today 17 colossal heads unearthed archaeological site olmecas.en San Lorenzo 10 colossal heads were unearthed in the archaeological site of La Venta four colossal heads unearthed in the archaeological site Three Zapotes two colossal heads were unearthed and the archaeological site was dug up Rancho's Tie 1 Header Colosale.

There are two main ways in which these faces show us: the naturalistic and the stylized features. Example of the latter, we would get calls ceremonial axes. All of them are variable features save one: analogous to that of said face of the Museum of the University Veracruzana, his mouth is trapezoidal and widens in the upper lip is thus a kind of symbolization of the two heads in front ophidian a front.

Olmec architecture 

Olmec architecture is diverse but generally a typical Olmec building consisted of a perishable materials: demadera poles, reed walls plastered with mud, thatched roofs and earthen floors, cone without a substructure. The substructures and foundations were compacted earth or sand seaarcillas and locally sourced. In some cases, stones were used as coating and manufacturing parala and sculptured monoliths "basalt columns." Puedentener pyramidal substructures such as buildings C1 and D1 of the Sale, or may be plantarectangular platforms.

The zapotecs

Zapotec culture or Zapotec civilization was an indigenous pre-Columbian Mesoamerican flourished in the South Valley of Oaxaca and the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (Mexico). There is archaeological evidence which shows that their culture goes back some 2500 years. The Zapotec archaeological evidence left in ancient city of Monte Alban, in the form of buildings, golf ball game, magnificent tombs and show their jewelry.

Ceramic vessel representing a human figure with feline features. Zapotec Culture (Monte Albán III phase), Early Classic and Middle Classic Periods.  Made in  between 100 and 700 AD. Place of discovery: Mexico.

They were a sedentary culture and advanced as a civilization, who lived in large villages and cities, in houses built of stone and mortar. They recorded the main events of their history through hieroglyphics, and the war made use of a cotton armor. The ruins or archaeological site known as Mitla are evidence of human occupation since the beginning of our era (year 0-200). Monte Albán is a sacred architectural joins the religious customs of the Mesoamerican peoples. It was built with several terraced platforms like pyramids of different heights. Within it were held ball games. The other difference is the inclusion complex of buildings dedicated, probably, the funerary cult. Also listed reliefs carved stone slabs representing individuals with deformities in the body, known as the dancers. With the disappearance of Monte Albán as core power, Mitla became a very important

population that served as the center of power for the Zapotecs of the valley. Its maximum height growth and occurred between 950 and 1521.

The Zapotecs developed a calendar and write logofonetico system that uses a separate glyph to represent each of the syllables of the language. This writing system is one of several candidates who are thought to have been the first writing systems of Mesoamerica and the predecessor of the writing systems developed by the Mayan, Mixtec and Aztec.

Zapotec culture

In the cities, you can admire Zapotec large buildings such as palaces and temple pyramids, and monumental stelae carved with figures of animals or characters, a field for ball game with side galleries for spectators and sumptuous tombs, which can be considered a manifestation of wealth achieved by this people.

As in other parts of Mesoamerica, the remains of pre-Columbian buildings of Monte Albán are mostly the remains of pyramid platforms that supported the buildings dedicated to religion, public administration or housing complexes remains dedicated to the dominant strata of society. However, thanks to the work of mapping the hill, also has been known to organize residential neighborhoods of the city. While the monumental complex is organized around the central square, the rooms lowest social strata were located in purpose-built terraces. This settlement pattern is fairly typical of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican societies Classic (ss. II-VIII/IX d. C.), as evidenced by the urban layout of Teotihuacan, Palenque and Tikal, which are among the largest of the time. Monumental architecture of Monte Alban was influenced by the first urban centers in the Central Valleys of Oaxaca, and San Jose Mogote and Dainzú. Especially San Jose Mogote had a central square around which organized the platforms on which public buildings were built that center protourbano. But according to the reconstruction by Marcus and Flannery (1996) Mogote platforms were constituted by a single body. In contrast, some of the buildings rescued at the archeological site of Monte Alban have two or more superposed. This architectural feature is a result of the influence of Teotihuacan on the Zapotec capital. In Monte Alban, the construction technique of slope and panel was adapted by the Zapotecs, resulting in the classic style of this city, with slopes amplified, topped by small double scapular panels.

The Chavin

The Chavin culture was a civilization that developed in the northern Andes of Peru between 900 BC to 200 BC. The discoverer of the Chavin Culture is the archaeologist who appointed July Tello as matrix or mother culture of the Andean civilizations of Peru, but recent archaeological discoveries demonstrate that culture Caral is the oldest Andean civilizations and would be a source of irradiation culture in the Andes. The Chavin culture developed in the formative stage of the history of Peru and belongs to the cultures of the first Cultural Horizon.

Ceramic Chavin

Pottery was found in a variety of shapes, including bottles and cups, decorated with a wide range of distinctive and styles. It is characterized as monochrome, gray and brown with incisions based designs. Were distinguished by offering a countless number of pottery with decorations of wild animals (jaguar, puma.etc) and also snakes and fish, and anthropomorphic figures that instilled terror.

Forms of Chavin ceramics: They had globular solid body with cylindrical neck and patterned stirrup beings embossed zoomorphic, anthropomorphic. The iconography of anthropomorphic feline is an important characteristic of the Chavin civilization. All these deities are represented in the different cultural manifestations as in ceramics, metal artifacts, textiles and architectural sculptures.

Architecture Chavin

The prime example of the architecture is the temple of Chavin. The design of the temple would not have withstood the weather usually the highlands of Peru, as it would have been flooded and destroyed during the rainy season, however the Chavin people think a drainage system successful outcome. Several canals were built under the temple to allow drainage. The Chavin people learned advanced acoustic (hydraulic engineering). During the rainy season the water ran through the channels creating a roaring sound. This would make the Chavin temple seems to be roaring like a jaguar. The temple is built of granite and white limestone and black.

Chavín culture represents the first widespread artistic style in the Andes. Chavín art can be divided into two phases: The first phase corresponding to the construction of the Temple "Old" in Chavin (900 BC-500 BC), and the second, which corresponds to the construction of the "New" Chavin de Huántar "(500 BC -200 BC).'s architecture spread throughout the country, characterized by structures in the form of" U ", platforms, truncated pyramids, squares and rectangular hollow circular pits.

Its buildings were mostly lytic (made of stone) although in some places also used mud and adobe. Platforms used for the construction of their temples with underground galleries that were adorned with the famous Stone Heads heads.

The Tello Obelisk

This obelisk is a granite pillar 2.52 m, trapezoidal cut, carved on all four sides. It represents a complex divinity: the union of two alligators. Across its surface represent a multitude of other items: men, birds, snakes, cats, plants (squash, peppers, peanuts, cassava), etc ... The divine montruo seems to feed them all. It is difficult to outline the detail in this welter of figures, but are aspects that are common to Chavin sculptural representations:

Divinity has thick lips, with sharp teeth protruding from his mouth. Other animals present also shown that pattern, the "word tabby", so characteristic of Chavin. The divinity extremidadesde are provided with hands-claw, with long nails

Raimondi Stela

Raimondi Stela is a monolith which corresponds to the late period of Chavin. It is a granite slab 1.98 m square by 74 cm wide, worked in relief in a single plane of their faces. It represents a felinizada anthropomorphic divinity, standing with open arms holding in each a stick or staff. This representation appears in pre-Columbian Andean cultures after Chavin: the classic "god of the two staffs". The divine figure presents rectangular head, hair transformed into snakes, "mouth brindle" and eccentric pupil eyes, looking up, and carries a complex headdress, breastplate and belt kilt with snakes, reminiscent of The Beast Lanzón in Old Temple of Chavin. Animals also appear decorative sense.

By : Cristian Lacera Medrano