Mayan, Aztec, and Incan Ceramics

This week, we will learn about how different cultures have different styles of ceramic art. Today, you will learn about several cultures, then choose one to research in more depth tomorrow.

Aztec, Incan, and Mayan Ceramics

The Aztec, Incan, and Mayan cultures lived in South and Central America around 500 BC-1600 AD.

The pottery from these regions is often reddish-brown in color. This is because clay is dug from the ground, so clay from different parts of the world will have different colors. Here is a video of clay artists digging up natural clay:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRb5v8FMUlI
(you can just watch part of the video to get the idea)


Incan, Aztec, and Mayan artists didn't use much glaze. Instead, they INCISED (scratched) designs into the clay, or BURNISHED (polished) parts of the clay, to make some parts of the design shiny. When glaze was used, it was usually only red or black.

Mayan pottery often told stories or scenes from their religion or history. They had a lot of people and words.

Incan Pottery is known for making VESSLES (containers) shaped like animals or human heads.

Aztec pottery had detailed, geometric designs carved into the surface.