Share on Facebook Share on Twitter
Ancient Americas
In 1911, Henry Walters purchased almost 100 gold artifacts from the Chiriqui region of western Panama, creating a core collection of ancient American art. Now strengthened by long-term loans and generous gifts from private collectors, the Ancient American collection features exceptional works of art from Central and South America, including masterpieces from the Mesoamerican Olmec, Aztec, and Maya cultures, as well as the Moche and Inca peoples of eastern South America.
The artworks revolve around a core set of themes, including agricultural fertility, the role of the ruler in forging a bond between the natural and supernatural realms, and the practice of shamanism, which included the ritual of uniting with an animal spirit.
Most of the objects, made of gold, jade, turquoise, shell, or clay, were found in tombs, intended to equip the deceased for his journey to the next world. The ancient American art collection includes extraordinary sculptures, masks, game objects, figurative and painted vases, as well as gold jewelry and ritual works. The installation is especially strong in objects from Mesoamerica (including present-day Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras, the Intermediate Area of Central America and northern Colombia), and the Andean civilizations of Ecuador and Peru. The collection provides a comprehensive overview of the enormous variety of artistic expression from these regions.

"Aquilla" (Drinking Cup) | Title |
1100-1500 (Late Intermediate-Late Horizon) | Period |
57.2307 | Accession |
muerteyvida | Tags |

"Axe god" Pendant | Title |
n.d. | Period |
2009.20.118 | Accession |
jaeite, costarica, cool, good, jadeite, stone, carved, sculpture, axegod, pendant, jewelry, ornament, adornment, green, ancientamericas, centralamerica, ancient, ancientamerica, narwhals, wow, love | Tags |

"Ch'uspa" (Coca Leaf Bag) | Title |
late 16th-17th century | Period |
2011.20.16 | Accession |

"Ch'uspa" (Coca Leaf Bag) | Title |
19th century | Period |
2011.20.17 | Accession |

"Kero" (Libation Cup) | Title |
ca. 1600 | Period |
2011.20.18 | Accession |

"Lliclla" (Woman's Wrap) | Title |
18th century | Period |
2011.20.11 | Accession |

"Uncu" (Tunic) | Title |
1438-1534 | Period |
2011.20.14 | Accession |

"Xantil" Incense Burner Effigy Lid | Title |
AD 1200-1521 (Postclassic) | Period |
2009.20.188 | Accession |
nice, mixteca, puebla, pueblo, earthenware, clay, sculpture, veracruz, mexico, ancientamerica, ancientamericas, southamerica, oaxaca, incense, incenseburner, effigy, man, figure, features | Tags |

"Zemi" (Deity Figure) | Title |
800-1500 | Period |
2005.6 | Accession |
pre-columbian, spirits, ancestor, skull, shellmoney, muerteyvida, phonewallpapers | Tags |

Acrobat Effigy Stirrup Spout Vessel | Title |
1200-500 BCE (Early Horizon-Early Intermediate) | Period |
2009.12.11 | Accession |
carved, effigy, acrobat, vessel, peru, ancient, americas, southamerica, sculpture, spout, chavin, clay, ceramic, earthenware, backbend, arch, moche, maya | Tags |

Adornment | Title |
n.d. | Period |
2009.20.79 | Accession |
peru, ancient, americas, southamerica, face, mask, gold, repousee, pattern | Tags |

Adornment | Title |
n.d. | Period |
2009.20.80 | Accession |
peru, ancient, ancientamericas, ancientamerica, gold, repousee, face, mask, pattern, brass | Tags |

Amphibian Pendant | Title |
ca. 800-1500 (Pre-Colombian) | Period |
57.301 | Accession |
ancient, americas, gold, panama, sculpture, southamerica, pendant, jewelry, frog, crocodile, shark, iguana, ancientamericas, ancientamerica, centralamerica, pre-columbian, chiriqui | Tags |

An Allegory of Saint Rose of Lima | Title |
ca. 1730-1760 | Period |
37.2940 | Accession |

Ancestral Figure | Title |
1000-1550 | Period |
41.330 | Accession |
stone, carved, really old, figure, colombia | Tags |

Ancestral Figure | Title |
1000-1550 | Period |
41.331 | Accession |
stone, colombia, figure, tairona, brownstone, ancestralfigure, sculpture, carved, smallfigure | Tags |

Ancestral Figure | Title |
1000-1550 | Period |
41.332 | Accession |
carved, brown, colombia, figure | Tags |

Ancestral Figure | Title |
1000-1550 | Period |
41.333 | Accession |
figure, brown, colombia | Tags |

Ancestral Figure | Title |
1000-1550 | Period |
41.334 | Accession |
colombia, stone, figure | Tags |

Ancestral Figure | Title |
1000-1550 | Period |
41.335 | Accession |
carved, stone, colombia, figure | Tags |

Andean Textile Fragment | Title |
16th century (Colonial) | Period |
83.769 | Accession |
peru, southamerica, weaving, tapestry, textile, cloth, pattern, colonial, birds, geometric, americas, ancientamerica, ancientamericas, pre-columbian, camelid-wool, fragment, olmec | Tags |

Anthropomorphic Tubular Duct Flute | Title |
AD 600-900 (Late Classic) | Period |
2009.20.135 | Accession |
mexico | Tags |

Anthropomorphic Tubular Duct Flute | Title |
300 BC-AD 200 | Period |
2009.20.138 | Accession |
creature, figure, mexico, calima, southamerica, ancient, americas, clay, flute, music, musical, instrument, mesoamerica | Tags |

Armadillo Effigy Vessel | Title |
300 BC-AD 300 (Late Pre-Classic) | Period |
2008.27.1 | Accession |
creature, anteater | Tags |

Avian "Axe god" Pendant | Title |
n.d. | Period |
2009.20.256 | Accession |
creature, owl | Tags |

Avian "Axe god" Pendant | Title |
n.d. | Period |
2009.20.257 | Accession |

Avian Effigy Vessel | Title |
ca. 800-400 BC (Formative) | Period |
48.2772 | Accession |
earthenware | Tags |

Avian Pendant | Title |
n.d. | Period |
2009.20.82 | Accession |
creature, bird, gold, southamerica, panama, ancient, americas, pendant, jewelry, flute | Tags |

Ballgame (?) Performer | Title |
300 BC-AD 200 | Period |
2009.20.172 | Accession |
man, cool, mexico, alisco, jalisco, clay, ceramics, figure, sculpture, face, hat, standing, ancient, americas, southamerica | Tags |

Ballgame (?) Performer | Title |
300 BC-AD 200 | Period |
2009.20.175 | Accession |

Ballgame Performer | Title |
100 BCE-300 CE | Period |
2009.20.133 | Accession |
games, sudamerica, mesoamerican, ballgame | Tags |

Ballgame Performer | Title |
100 BC-AD 300 | Period |
2009.20.134 | Accession |
games, mesoamerican, ballgame | Tags |

Ballplayer Figure | Title |
900-600 BC (Middle Formative) | Period |
2009.20.228 | Accession |
figurine | Tags |

Band | Title |
500-850 CE | Period |
2011.20.15 | Accession |

Bat Pendant with Outstretched Wings with Openwork Design | Title |
1000-1550 | Period |
72.33 | Accession |
creature | Tags |

Battered Warrior (?) Figure | Title |
AD 600-900 (Late Classic) | Period |
2009.20.44 | Accession |
remojadas, veracruz, clay, ceramic, earthenware, ancient, americas, southamerica, mexico, headdress, face, sitting, sculpture, figure, man, warrior | Tags |

Bell Pendant | Title |
800-1521 (Pre-Early Conquest) | Period |
57.311 | Accession |

Bell Pendant | Title |
800-1521 (Pre-Early Conquest) | Period |
57.295 | Accession |

Bell Pendant | Title |
800-1521 (Pre-Early Conquest) | Period |
57.310 | Accession |

Bell Pendant of a Dog | Title |
800-1521 (Pre-Early Conquest) | Period |
57.307 | Accession |
creature | Tags |

Bell Pendant of a Duck | Title |
800-1521 (Pre-Early Conquest) | Period |
57.308 | Accession |

Bell Pendant of a Parrot | Title |
800-1521 (Pre-Early Conquest) | Period |
57.309 | Accession |

Bell Pendant with Toucan | Title |
800-1521 (Pre-Early Conquest) | Period |
57.296 | Accession |

Bell Pendants | Title |
AD 850-1521 (Postclassic) | Period |
2009.20.147.1 | Accession |

Bell Pendants | Title |
AD 850-1521 (Postclassic) | Period |
2009.20.147.2 | Accession |

Bell Pendants | Title |
AD 850-1521 (Postclassic) | Period |
2009.20.147.3 | Accession |

Bell with Bat / Animal Deity | Title |
900-1500 (Late Intermediate) | Period |
57.2288 | Accession |
creature, instrument, jewelry, metal, metalwork, filigree, braid, braidwork, cat, feline, diety, tumbaga, precolumbian, ancientamericas, ancientamerica, southamerica, lostwax, lostwaxmethod, percussion, music, bell, gold, colombia, tairona | Tags |

Belt Rattle with Bells | Title |
n.d. | Period |
2009.20.66 | Accession |
bell, jewelry, ancient, americas, southamerica, gold, decapitation, diety, turqouise | Tags |

Bird Figure | Title |
1500-1000 BC (late Archaic) | Period |
2006.15.5 | Accession |
animal, creature | Tags |

Bird Pendant | Title |
100-500 (Early Classic) | Period |
42.1511 | Accession |