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What role does language play in the creation of art, and how can it inform its art historical interpretation? Through a series of case studies drawn from art history, anthropology, and linguistics, this graduate seminar will examine the multifaceted relationships between traditions of verbal and material expression in the indigenous Americas. Key topics will include Mayan decipherment and the interpretation of ancient Maya art; Mesoamerican linguistics and concepts of color; and compositional structure in modern Quechua weaving and storytelling. Through this course, students will critically evaluate language-based analysis as a method for the study of art, while also learning about historical relationships between art and language in the indigenous Americas.