Design Motifs of Ancient Mexico

This is a remarkable collection of images taken from ancient Mexican stamps. These stamps were usually made from fired clay; the author believes they were mainly used to stamp designs on pottery. My guess is that's not always true, as I've seen a lot of Precolumbian Mexican pots, and not many have that type of decoration. The author mentions that the stamps were also used to make temporary tattoos, and to stamp designs on fabric and paper. It would be interesting to know what the current archaeological thinking is on the uses of these stamps. Butterflies were a popular motif in the Precolumbian Valley of Mexico. It's interesting to note that the Nahuatl (Aztec) word for butterfly is "paplotl", intriguingly similar to the French "papillon". Owls, another popular motif, were tecolotl, the source of the Mexican Spanish word tecolote. The stamps illustrated are primarily from the Valley of Mexico, with a few from Vera Cruz and other localities. This edition is a reprint of the 1947 book. Dover currently sells Design Motifs of Ancient Mexico, a book and CD collection, but the book appears to be a 48 page abridgement of the original. My advice is, buy the book first, then buy the CD if you want to actually use the designs. The book is the usual high-quality Dover product -- my copy is the 1953 reprint, and it's still in fine shape 50-some years later. Highly recommended. Happy reading-- Peter D. Tillman

Good reference book. Full of designs that can be reproduced. If one is trying to teach a unit on Aztec designs this is the perfect book to get. Students can reproduce the designs and have fun. If the purpose is to create graphics, there are several great designs to choose from.

This book is a bargain and especially useful for artists working in various mediums that want to include the ancient designs of Mexico. All of the motiffs are authentic and come from extensive research with such collaborators as Mexico's National Museum and it's diretors and associated profesors. Numerous individual contributors, such as artists like Diego Rivera and Miguel Covarrubias have contributed their own personal collections for reproduction. The author, Jorge Enciso, first published this book in 1947 and it has been out of print for quite awhile, that is until Dover Press came out with a paperback edition. The designs are all magnificent reproductions of stamps used in various parts of ancient Mexico. Many of the designs you've probably seen before in artwork where a Mexican motiff is used but there are countless others that are unique and rarely seen. Intricate, geometric designs abound as well as drawings that feature the natural world and the use of animal figures both real and imagined. The decorative patterns are eloborate manifestations of the cultures of pre-Columbian Oaxaca, Veracruz, Azcapotzalco, Yucatan, Puebla and Teotihuacan amongst others. Many of these designs are still used in the arts and crafts that are produced in these areas.There are more designs than any one artist could ever use. These designs are useful as well as springboards for other ideas inspired by the ancient designs. Dover Press has given permission to use up to ten designs for any project without permission so any artist can use them without copyright infringement. A very handy book for people interested in preserving the artistic traditions of Mexico.

I love this book! There are images in various shapes and sizes from very detailed to very simple. All designs have been reproduced in sharp black-and-white so they are easy see, copy, enlarge, etc. I reproduce the images in artwork and crafts and this book has proven to be EXACTLY what I need for my work. Also, each design is labeled with a brief description of it's use and where it was found. The designs are put in helpful categories by subject so if you are looking for a certain animal, that particular design is easy to find. Anyone even slightly interested in ancient Mexican designs will find this to be a beautiful book.