See more Art of the Ancient Americas
Browse objects from the Art of the Ancient Americas collection online.
Publications
The Ancient Americas most recent publication, Murals of the Americas, includes essays from the 2017 Mayer symposium. Topics included work from the American Southwest, Mesoamerica, and contemporary murals. Presenters considered the role of large-scale art inscribed on walls in sparking dialogue, furthering learning, or inspiring viewers. The papers in this volume, like the collection, span from the earliest civilization in Mesoamerica to the present, and include the perspectives of artists Judith Baca and Ed Kabotie as well as those of well-regarded academics. Each chapter discusses how murals function as a powerful tool for the expression of political, social, or religious ideas across diverse time periods and cultures.
List of publications include:
- ReVisión: A New Look at Art in the Americas, Victoria I. Lyall and Jorge F. Rivas Pérez, ed., 2020.
- Murals of the Americas, Victoria I. Lyall, ed., 2017.
- Pre-Columbian Art & Archaeology: Essays in Honor of Frederick R. Mayer, Papers from the 2002 & 2007 Mayer Center Symposia at the Denver Art Museum, Margaret Young-Sánchez, ed., 2013.
- Marajó: Ancient Ceramics from the Mouth of the Amazon, Margaret Young-Sánchez and Denise Schaan, 2011.
- Nature and Spirit: Ancient Costa Rican Treasures in the Mayer Collection at the Denver Art Museum, Margaret Young-Sánchez and others, 2011.
- Tiwanaku: Papers from the 2005 Mayer Center Symposium at the Denver Art Museum, Margaret Young-Sánchez, ed., 2009.
- Andean Textile Traditions: Papers from the 2001 Mayer Center Symposium at the Denver Art Museum, Margaret Young-Sánchez and Fronia Simpson, eds, 2006.
- Tiwanaku: Ancestors of the Inca, Margaret Young-Sánchez and others, 2004.
- Pre-Columbian Art in the Denver Art Museum Collection, Margaret Young-Sánchez, 2003.
Research & Symposia
Scholars wishing to access the Mayer Center for Ancient and Latin American Art department collections and/or library holdings must contact the Mayer Center well in advance of a visit. Due to ongoing construction and renovation of the galleries, six to eight weeks notice is recommended. If approval for study is granted, the collection/library will be made available as the staff of the DAM's schedule permits. Please plan accordingly. Please contact mayercenter@denverartmuseum.org for more information.
The Mayer Center Fellow Program
This program is designed to support scholarly research related to the museum’s collections of Art of the Ancient Americas art and Latin American art and to provide curatorial experience.
Symposia
Over the last two decades, the Mayer Center’s annual symposium and accompanying publication provides a forum for ongoing research being conducted throughout the region. The 19th annual symposium held in November 2019, El Mar Caribe: The American Mediterranean, featured scholars working in and around the Caribbean basin. A volume of the presentations is forthcoming.
The Ancient Americas’ most recent publication, Murals of the Americas, includes essays from the 2017 Mayer symposium. Topics included work from the American Southwest, Mesoamerica, and contemporary murals. Presenters considered the role of large-scale art inscribed on walls in sparking dialogue, furthering learning, or inspiring viewers. The papers in this volume, like the collection, span from the earliest civilization in Mesoamerica to the present, and include the perspectives of artists Judith Baca and Ed Kabotie as well as those of well-regarded academics. Each chapter discusses how murals function as a powerful tool for the expression of political, social, or religious ideas across diverse time periods and cultures.
The Mayer Center
Art of the Ancient Americas forms part of the Frederick and Jan Mayer Center for Ancient and Latin American Art. Founded in 2001 through the generosity of Frederick and Jan Mayer, the Center’s purpose is to increase awareness and promote scholarship in these fields by sponsoring academic activities including symposia, fellowships, research projects, conservation, and publications.

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The Martin Building Project
The gallery for this collection is housed inside the newly renovated Martin Building. Standing seven stories tall, the Martin Building is home to collection galleries, a conservation laboratory, interactive classroom space, a family activity center, two restaurants, and the brand new Anna and John J. Sie Welcome Center. It reopened to the public on October 24, 2021.