Copal refers to the general term for a variety of hard, natural resins obtained directly from various tropical trees of the genera Hymenaea and Agathis. Copal is characterized as a hard, translucent odoriferous resinous substance in an intermediate stage of polymerization and hardening between gummy resins and amber. Copals contain communic acids, communol, resene, and volatile oil.

On a visit to Mexico in 1928, Jerry Bywaters made the acquaintance of the great Mexican muralist, Diego Rivera. Bywaters was profoundly affected by the older man's views on the role of the artist and the society in which he worked.

A mosaic is composed of small, usually colored pieces of inlaid stone, glass, or other material that together create an image or design. The art form of turquoise mosaic originated among the Mixtec of Oaxaca, and the tradition continued among the Aztecs. Mosaic enhanced the surfaces of masks, headdresses, shields, sacrificial knives, helmets, pectorals, staffs, and a variety of other objects. The tedious process involved grinding tiny tiles (tesserae)—predominately turquoise but includ

Mrs. George K. Meyer (Sallie Griffis) was a founding member and officer of the Dallas Art Association. Beginning in 1909 and continuing through 1926, she was President of the Art Association for much longer than any other leader would be.

Sacrifice and bloodletting were essential ritual events that served various ideological and cultural functions within Mesoamerican cultures, particularly the Maya. Human sacrifice usually involved the taking of captives during warfare for the purpose of sacrifice or bloodletting. Bloodletting was the ritual autosacrifice or puncturing of a part of the body (either oneself or another person), generally the tongue or cheek for women and the penis for men, often collecting the blood on paper w

The figure cast in high relief on this plaque represents a high-ranking warrior chief from the ancient Benin Kingdom, which was founded during the 13

This plaque of a high-ranking warrior chief is from the powerful Benin kingdom. Located inland from the Niger River Delta in present-day Nigeria, the African kingdom was founded in the 10th century and reached its height during the 16th and 17th centuries.

Benin art, made to glorify the reigning and ancestral kings (oba), served as both a sign of status and record of court life.