Exploring the Early Americas

Pre-Contact America

Urban Landscapes

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Ritual, Ceremonies, and Celebrations

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Language and Context

  • Large vase with glyphs and eleven characters. Guatemalan Highlands. Nebaj region. AD 600–900. Polychromed orange-gloss ceramic. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (008.00.00)
    Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates
  • White background vase with six figures and glyphs. Guatemalan Lowlands. AD 600–900. Polychromed ceramic. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (009.00.00)
    Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates
  • Vase depicting seated ruler and dwarf. Guatemalan Lowlands. Maya, AD 600–900. Red-rimmed, black-on-cream ceramic. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (023.00.00)
    Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates
  • Shell cup with six incised hieroglyphs. Maya, AD 200–400 Shell. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (028.00.00)
  • Ceremonial ballgame yoke in form of a toad. Mexico.Veracruz. AD 200–400. Carved gray granite. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (013.00.00)
  • Vase with deer hunting procession. Guatemalan Highlands. Chama style. Maya, AD 600–900 Polychromed orange-gloss ceramic. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (016.00.00)
    Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates
  • Vessel with Maya scribes. Guatemalan Lowlands. Maya, AD 600–900. Red-rimmed, black-on-cream ceramic. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (022.00.00)
    Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates
  • Large polychrome tripod plate. Guatemalan Lowlands. Maya, AD 600–900. Painted orange-gloss ceramic. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (027.00.00)
    Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates
  • Painted miniature flasks. Guatemalan Lowlands. Maya, AD 600–900. Red and brown-black-on-cream ceramics. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (029.00.00)
    Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates
  • Incised creamware vessel. Guatemalan Lowlands. Maya, AD 550–900. Ceramic with a cream-colored slip and cinnabar highlighting in the glyphs. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (024.00.00)
  • Vase with Sixty Hieroglyphs. Guatemalan Lowlands. Maya, AD 600–900. Red and black-on-cream ceramic. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (033.00.00)
  • Bowl with Carved Underworld Scene and Five Hieroglyphs. Yucatán. Chochola style. Maya. AD 600–900. Grey ceramic. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (033.01.00)
  • “Fleur De Lis” vase with primary standard sequence glyph band. Guatemalan Lowlands. Maya, AD 600–900. Black and orange on white ceramic. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (033.02.00)
    Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates
  • Large shell pectoral with narrative scene. Mexico. Maya-Toltec style, AD 900–1200. Incised conch shell. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (033.09.00)
    Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates
  • Earspool with four incised glyphs. Guatemalan Lowlands. Maya, AD 200–400. Light green jade and red cinnabar. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (033.04.00)
  • Pair of carved long bones. Mexico. Northern Veracruz. Huastec region, AD 1200–1500. Carved and polished bone. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (033.05.00)
  • Vase with lords in the mouths of serpents. Guatemalan Lowlands. Maya, AD 600–900. Polychromed ceramic. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (033.07.00)
  • Tall black-background vase with Teotihuacan-Maya war and sacrifice themes. Guatemalan Lowlands. Maya, AD 600–900. Polychrome ceramic. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (040.01.00)
    Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates
  • Tall vase with regal dressing scene in palace. Guatemalan Lowlands. Maya, AD 600–900. Polychrome ceramic. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (040.00.00)
    Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates
  • Codex Vindobonensis Mexicanus I. Mexico City: Fondo de Cultura Económica, 1992. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (025.00.03)
  • Antonio de Nebrija. (1441–1522). Gramática de la lengua castellana (Grammar of the Castilian language). Salamanca: 1492. Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (026.00.03)

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Recording History

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The Heavens and Time

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Explorations and Encounters

Columbus and the Taíno

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Cortés and the Aztecs

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Pizarro and the Incas

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Interpreting the Conquest

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Conquest of Mexico Paintings

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Conflict and Accommodation

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Aftermath of the Encounter

Languages and Religion

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Competition for Empire

Pirates and Privateers

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Spanish Florida

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English Florida

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The United States: An Emerging Empire

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Sir Frances Drake’s Voyage Maps

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Documenting New Knowledge

Mapping the World

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Cartographic Treasures

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Natural History

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