Voices of the Early Americas

Voices of the Early Americas puts varied items from the Jay I. Kislak Collection of the Archaeology and History of the Early Americas—ancient objects, colonial and modern paintings, books, manuscripts, and maps—in conversation with other materials from the Library of Congress, including contemporary photography and poetry. The many voices included in the book tell stories from differing perspectives across time and space, enabling readers to experience the back and forth between Indigenous and European peoples in the Americas from ancient times to the present. Featuring new and breathtaking photography of priceless artifacts, the book serves as the official companion publication to a major Library of Congress exhibition in the Jay I. Kislak Gallery of the Early Americas. The focus on Mesoamerica, including the Maya and Aztec, contextualizes key pieces of the Kislak collection within the broader context of stories around a number of topics such as the making of the world, the rise and fall of empires, and everyday human experiences of creativity and ingenuity.