Civilizations Without Metal Tools

Pre-Columbian artists achieved extraordinary results without the metal tools that European and Asian artists took for granted. Maya carvers created intricate relief sculptures using stone and obsidian, which demanded far more time and skill than metal equivalents. Aztec goldsmiths mastered lost-wax casting as refined as anything in the Old World.

The boldest works were monumental, built without wheels, draft animals, or iron. Inca masons cut blocks so precisely that no mortar was needed, with joints so tight a knife blade will not fit between them — surpassing most medieval European stonework.