Refers to the period of art in Mesoamerica from around 600 CE to 900 CE. Sculptural styles of the period varied according to region. In Tierra Blanca, pottery and ceramic bowls featured mold-made ritual scenes in high relief. Figures from Nopiloa are commonly mold-made but coated with a cream-colored slip. In most regions, pottery and clay sculpture prominently feature standing and seated female figures with ornate headdresses, beaded necklaces, and knotted snake belts and include cream-slipped bowls finely painted with realistic and imaginary animals and costumed figures organized in pairs or trios. Lapidary art of the period features three forms associated with a sacred ball-game: the yuog, palma, and hacha. In architecture, the style exhibits stelae and altar structures that feature large, zoomorphic frontal figures in high relief, decorated with dense costume designs. Painting styles of the period represent humans in urban contexts among pyramids, thrones, staircases, and market places and feature rich colors as symbols. Murals of the period depict expressive historical, military, and ritual scenes and decorate temples and vaults.
