Colima and Maya's Cultures - Essay Example

Colima Culture and Maya Culture People in old-world times have a number of traditions and customs that has formed their cultural peculiarities and characteristic features. The territory of America has been inhabited by particular amount of tribes with their own history, culture and name. The objects under consideration are taken from the collection of ancient American culture. Indianapolis Museum of Art preserves showpieces from old times, and always ready to demonstrate them to the auditory.

The examples from Colima culture and Maya culture attract attention, and it is interesting to compare these pieces of art. Vessel in form of a dog that considered being an exemplar of Colima culture, and vessel with palace scene that determine a Maua culture are fallen under analysis. What should be mentioned is that these works of art have a lot in common, still cultural specialties are visible. Colima culture or co-called Capacha refers to the territory of West Mexico and “dated there to the early to middle Formative period” that is 200 BCE-300 AD (Evans and Webster, 95).

Death has regarded as a transfer to another world, and burials have attracted special attention in ancient times. “Ancient West Mexicans used a unique shaft-chamber tomb, an underground series of rooms reached by a narrow, vertical opening, or shaft” (IMA, n.p.). Such vessels have been surrounded the deceased and have put there with a special aim. Dogs have remained to be servants as guides to assist the dead person in his/her trip to the underworld (IMA, n.p.). In addition, dogs are considered to be a source of food for Colima people that is why such vessel has been of great significance according to the beliefs of that population.

The vessel has a dark brown color and rather and size a real small dog. The example of Maya culture belongs to the Late Classic Period in the existence of discussed culture, more exactly 600-900 AD (Foster, 17). “The culture reaches its artistic zenith” in those times (Foster, 18). That is why the vessel with palace scene is regarded as an important example of Maya culture. This is considered to a vessel for drink with a painting scene showing “a ruler sitting on a throne, wearing a jade necklace and a headdress with exotic feathers” (IMA, n.p.).

Such vessels also have buried with the people they belong to, usually that have been rich residents of those territories. The vessel is in the different tones of brown and beige color with the size of normal pot or mug. Representative issues of these cultures consist of pottery vessels and stone tools that have founded in those territories. It is impossible to determine the author of given vessels. Moreover, a number of identical vessels might have been uncountable, as it has been an issue that keeps with a dead person.

We may count the material of proposed vessels to the similarities of this two works, as both pieces of art are made from “slipped and painted earthenware”(IMA, n.p.). All in all, these vessels belongs to different cultures, still they both have situated on the territory of American continent what show the similarities in the assignation of these works of art. Nevertheless, each of them has different shape, color and size. Ancient American culture reflects people’s life and traditions. It may seem primitive to some people, still such models are invaluable for the history of American culture and for the evidences about the ancient times.

Reference List: Evans, Susan Toby and Webster, David L. “Archaeology of Ancient Mexico and Central America: An Encyclopedia”. USA:Routledge, 2013. Print. Foster, Lynn V. “Handbook to Life in the Ancient Maya World”. UK: Oxford University Press, 2002. “VESSEL WITH PALACE SCENE” and “VESSEL IN FORM OF A DOG”. Indianapolis Museum of Art, 2014.