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Dumbarton Oaks Studies in Pre-Columbian Art and Archaeology
Izapan-Style Art
A Study of Its Form and Meaning
Jacinto Quirarte

Izapan-style art, named after the Mexican site of Izapa near the Guatemalan border and applied to works of art found primarily in the Chiapas-Guatemala highland and Pacific slope sites, usually occupies a peripheral position in studies of Mesoamerican art. Even when the distinct formal and thematic programs of this sculpture are pointed out, its role as an intermediary between Olmec and Maya styles is emphasized. In order to understand Izapan-style art and its relationships to preceding and subsequent art styles, the author studies its formal and thematic programs in order to give us a clearer picture of the art, its form, and its meaning.