The Field Museum PresentsThe Ancient Americas

A Permanent Exhibition

The Ancient Americas, one of The Field Museum’s most esteemed permanent exhibitions,

is an exploration of ancient human survival and evolution. From the arrival of small groups of

hunter-gatherers, whose way of life survived into the 20th century, to the great empires of the

Aztecs and the Incas, The Ancient Americas exhibition tells the story of evolving human life on the

American continents. Visitors will see for themselves the intelligence and creativity that

distinguish human beings, the innovations that have allowed groups to diversify, and the great

cities, trade networks, and sophisticated cultures built by Indigenous people long before European

imposition.

“Creativity, the ability to adapt and innovate, allowed human beings to build successful

societies and develop new forms of cultural expression throughout the world,” says Jonathan Haas,

Field Museum archaeologist and lead curator for The Ancient Americas. “But it’s only recently

that we’ve come to appreciate the great diversity and the high level of achievement attained,

independently, by peoples throughout the Americas. The Field Museum developed The Ancient

Americas to help people understand the story through the insights of contemporary anthropology

and archaeology.”

To help tell that story, The Ancient Americas exhibition includes more than 2,200 artifacts

representing more than 20 distinct cultural groups, organized in a uniquely revealing way: not in

chronological order around discrete cultures, as in traditional museum exhibitions, but around the

diverse approaches people have developed to meet the challenges they face. Visitors will see how

and why cultures change. They’ll see the different forms of hunting and gathering that people

undertook as they moved through different environments; the experiments that led to the

domestication of animals and plants and the rise of farming communities; the different forms of

leadership that some societies turned to; the formation of hierarchical governments and states, and

the building of vast empires. Visitors will get to know early pueblo communities of the American

Southwest; the mound-building Hopewell and Mississippian cultures of the Midwest; the Taíno of

the Caribbean; the Zapotec, Maya, and Aztec of Mesoamerica; the Moche, Wari, and Inca of South

America, and many more.

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These stories of The Ancient Americas are told through captivating displays and activities

built on the Field Museum’s unsurpassed archaeological collections. On display are more than 200

ceramic vessels from the Museum’s world-famous Peruvian collections; hundreds of luxury and

spiritual items from our Hopewell collection; 200 of the scarce gold objects from Colombia, and

much more. With these artifacts, visitors will step into the world of Ice-Age mammoth hunters –

Chicago circa 11,000 B.C. They’ll walk through a recreation of an 800-year-old pueblo dwelling,

survey the monumental earthworks of mound-building peoples, and explore the great cities of

Tenochtitlan and Cuzco, capitals of the Aztec and Inca empires. They’ll make new discoveries at

interactive maps, dioramas, and computer activities, and watch animated videos created specially

for this exhibition. They’ll follow the Museum’s own archaeologists at work in the field, and have

opportunities to begin more intensive investigations of their own.

“I think visitors will be surprised to discover just how much we have in common with the

ancient Americans,” says David Foster, the Field’s Project Management Director. Even the Stone

Age inhabitants, he points out, were creative, biologically modern humans, who in some ways

lived richer and less stressful lives than we do. In the societies that followed, visitors will see

many familiar themes expressed in community life, trade networks, the design of cities and

governments, and the motivations for expansion and warfare.

“When visitors leave the exhibition,” says Foster, “they’ll have a new perspective on what

it means to be human and to live with other people. They’ll look at their own society with

different eyes.”

The Ancient Americas is made possible by the McCormick Tribune Foundation.  The

Empire Builders Gallery is presented by the Abbott Fund, and The Innovators Gallery is presented

by ITW Foundation. Free listening posts throughout the exhibition offer gallery overviews in

Spanish.

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Public Programs

Programs and activities include lectures, family workshops, daily gallery programs, student

classes, and teacher workshops. For updates on public programs and special events, please call

(312) 665-7400.

The Ancient Americas on the Web

An interactive Ancient Americas Web site offers in-depth information on indigenous societies,

a detailed teachers’ guide, and links to related sites

Admission

Admission to The Ancient Americas is free with general admission to The Field Museum ($15

for adults, $10 for children 3-11, and $12 for seniors, and students with ID). Discounts are

available for Chicago residents. Visit www.fieldmuseum.org or call (312) 922-9410 for

details.

To purchase tickets, call 866-FIELD-03 (866-343-5303), visit www.fieldmuseum.org, or come

to the Museum’s box office. Special rates are available for tour operators and groups of 15 or

more. Call our Group Sales office toll-free at 888-FIELD-85 (888-343-5385).

Hours and General Information

The Field Museum is open daily except Christmas Day; Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5

p.m., Sundays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Last tickets are sold at 4 p.m. For general Museum information

call (312) 922-9410 or visit our interactive web site at www.fieldmuseum.org.

Location and Travel Information

The Field Museum is located at 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, on CTA bus lines #6, #12, and

#146, and close to other routes and the Metra electric and South Shore lines. An indoor

parking garage is located just steps from the main entrance. For more travel information, call

the Illinois Department of Transportation, (312) 368-4636, or the RTA Travel Center Hotline,

(312) 836-7000.

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