This guide has been written for use with the online exhibition CLOTH & CLAY: Communicating Culture. Through careful study of the ceramic and textile objects in CLOTH & CLAY, students can follow different paths of exploration to discover the great Mesoamerican and Andean civilizations of the ancient Americas.

The information within this guide is organized into seven sections which introduce important themes that are explored in the exhibition. In addition to providing introductory information about each theme, this guide also provides a series of Classroom Activities, each designed with specific age groups and curriculum needs in mind.

These activities will allow you as a teacher to bring CLOTH & CLAY and its content into the classroom in fun, creative and educational ways.

The activities were designed with all subjects in mind. Whether you are teaching History, Visual Art, Mathematics, Language Arts or Science, you can find activities and ideas to help you and your students explore the cultures of the ancient Americas. Included as well is a listing of books for younger readers and a glossary.

Image: In the Textile Museum's fibrespace, Francisca Rivera Pérez, who speaks Náhuatl, the language of the Aztec empire, weaves cloth on a backstrap loom. Students from David Lewis Public School in Toronto, Canada look on.