The Art of Pedro Rafael Mena. 8hO
- A Raid on the Mississippi (July 2022)
Illustration of an incursion into the Mississippian
Mississippian world based on archaeological findings and historical documentation. This interpretation is the end result of intensive data collection by archaeologist (and commissioner) Mark Sanders, who presented this piece along with his work at the American Archaeological Society conference on Mississippian warfare, paraphernalia, and weaponry.
Contrary to popular belief about the indigenous history of North America, the Mississippi region of the continental U.S. was home to a network of kingdoms, city-states, and political entities that influenced and interacted with each other and the larger pre-Columbian world for centuries before the arrival of European settlers. These states actively engaged in deep political intrigues both within and outside their courts, establishing trade relations and, most importantly for this piece: engaging in warfare.
piece: engaging in warfare.
Amassing armies of thousands, the Mississippians waged war in ways no less complex than their Mesoamerican, Andean and Old World counterparts.
Mississippi waged war in ways no less complex than their Mesoamerican, Andean, and Old World counterparts. They made use of advanced weaponry, tactics, logistical support through long supply lines defined by the flow of the Mississippi and other rivers, as well as littoral fleets and all manner of fortification to gain strategic supremacy over their peers.
The illustration shows an idealized representation
The illustration shows an idealized representation of Middle Mississippian armor, with a full range of possible armor constructions and weapon systems (copper and flint weapons, wooden armor, leather and copper plate). An assault on one of these fortifications is observed, where elite warriors of an expansionist polity attack the defenders of a
Muskogee-speaking settlement.
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Now we will have civilizations from all over the American continent, north, center and south.