Elisenda Vila Llonch Reihenfolge der Bücher (Chronologisch)

In ancient Colombia, people did not use gold as currency or desire it for its economic value. Gold was revered instead for its symbolic association and transformative properties. This sacred metal was used to create some of the most visually dramatic and technically sophisticated works of art found anywhere in the Americas before European contact. Drawing on the spectacular collections of the Museum del Oro in Bogota and the British Museum, this beautiful book features over 100 masterpieces fashioned exquisitely in gold and its alloy tumbaga, including small votive figures, decorative nose rings and earrings, vessels, pectorals and masks. These are presented alongside an array of other highly valued objects textiles, ceramic figurines, shells, colourful stone beads which also played a significant part in daily and ritual contexts. -- Publisher's blurb.

Under Moctezuma the mighty Aztec empire reached the height of its power; under Moctezuma, the Aztec empire met its ultimate downfall. The Aztecs ruled from the island metropolis of Tenochtitlan which, by the fifteenth century, stretched from the Gulf Coast to the Pacific Ocean. Focusing on their last elected leader, Moctezuma II, this informative and beautifully illustrated little book explores the world of the Aztecs. It looks at their origins, the founding of their capital city Tenochtitlan, the structure of their society, their religious beliefs and ceremonies, their military prowess, their art and architecture, and their network of long-distance trade and tribute. The dramatic death of Moctezuma at the hands of the Spanish is also recounted. "Moctezuma and the Aztecs" not only offers a concise portrait of this famous, semi-divine figure but offers a wonderful introduction to a remarkable, sophisticated civilization.