Arts of the Ancient Americas Galleries

The reinstalled Frederick & Jan Mayer Galleries showcase the Denver Art Museum’s renowned Latin American Art and Arts of the Ancient Americas collections through a presentation of more than 1,000 rare works that present the expansive history of artistic creation in Latin America. The breadth of these collections, among the most comprehensive in the United States, encompass 3,500 years of art and culture, revealing trends, relationships, and discontinuities between art created in the region.

The Arts of the Ancient Americas collection encompasses the area from the southwestern United States to the tip of present-day Argentina beginning in 2000 B.C.E. This reinstallation focuses on three major geographic zones: Mesoamerica, Central America, and the Andes. While the collection primarily focuses on objects produced prior to the arrival of Europeans, the gallery incorporates several contemporary works that engage with ancient practices and materials, highlighting connections between past and present.

This new presentation considers the conceptual threads that continue to link many of these communities despite environmental, linguistic, and cultural differences: the role of the land or environment on worldview, the continued impact of the ancient past on contemporary communities, and the economic and cultural connections that brought ancient communities together: land, legacy, and trade.