Mexico holds one of the richest pre-colonial art traditions in the Americas. The Olmec, Maya, Teotihuacan, and Aztec cultures left behind sculpture, murals, ceramics, and architecture that are still studied around the world.
The Olmec are known for their colossal stone heads, massive portraits carved from single boulders. Later traditions include Maya stone carving and painted ceramics, and the temple sculpture of the Aztec capital. Mexico City’s museums, including the National Museum of Anthropology, hold major collections.
Spanish colonization added a whole new layer: churches, altarpieces, and paintings that mixed European and Indigenous traditions. In the twentieth century, the muralist movement brought Mexican art back to public walls on a huge scale.
The original article’s marketing for a specific university program was removed. Students of art history should look for programs with real museum access and coursework in pre-Columbian and colonial art. Related reading: Mayan archaeology field school in Belize, Mesoamerican archaeology in Honduras, Native American studies in Albuquerque, and master’s degree equivalency in Mexico.
