6th century Maya mirror-bearer in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Wooden Maya artifacts are incredibly rare, in large part because wood deteriorates quickly in warm, humid environments. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.
Way back in the day, my first museum internship—first museum position of any kind—was in the Met’s Department of the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas (AAOA). Although the collection is united more by Western colonialism than any intrinsic cultural, philosophical, religious, physical, temporal, or geographic similarities, the diverse works sheltered beneath AAOA’s too-broad umbrella are nonetheless incredible, if often overlooked by hurried visitors. Indeed, one of the more disappointing things to have not changed in the almost 20 years since I worked there is the fact that most tourists treat the AAOA galleries as little more than a corridor between Classical and Modern art, rather than as a destination unto themselves.
Of course, the relative lack of public interest also makes exploring these galleries all the easier for those of us who are fascinated by their contents. On my most recent, too-brief visit this August, I got to spend a little time with some of my favorite items from the pre-Columbian section, and thought I would share some (okay, a lot) of them here.
The Met has most of its collection online, usually with multiple images and longer descriptions than I’m providing. I’ve linked to the individual objects in my captions for those seeking additional information.
7th–8th century Maya “canine ornament” in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.
8th century, Maya vessel with a “mythological scene” in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.
7th or 8th century, Maya scepter showing a figure in profile in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.
7th century, Maya crocodile rattle from Mexico in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.
Olmec yoke, 10th–4th century BCE, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.
Escuintla 5th–7th century Teotihuacan-style “host figure” from Guatemala in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.
7th–8th century Jaina-style Maya “costumed figure” in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.
Olmec mask fragment, 10th–6th century BCE, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.
10th–13th century, Mixtec tecali vessels in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.
Pair of Maya earflare frontals from the 7th–8th century in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.
7th–8th century Maya vessel depicting the rain god, Chahk, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.
Gold Aztec labret in the shape of a serpent with an articulated tongue, 13th–early 16th century, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.
Isla de Sacrificios vulture bowl, 13th–15th century, Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.
10th–6th century BCE Olmec eagle transformation figure in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.
8th century Maya relief in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.
Maya deity head pendant in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.
Veracruz canine vessel and masked figure from the 7th–9th centuries in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.
Olmec seated figure, 12th–9th century BCE, Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.
7th or 8th century Maya vessel depicting the rain god, Chahk, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.
Nahua deity head, 13th–early 16th century, Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.