Architecture of Pre-Columbian America

ARCHITECTURE OF PRE-COLUMBIAN AMERICA Pre-Columbian Architecture is the architecture of the indigenous civilizations of Mesoamerica and the Andes and of neighboring cultures before the 16th century AD. Ancient civilizations of Mexico, Central America and South America are referred to as Pre-Columbian cultures before the arrival of Columbus. These regions in Pre-Columbian America were: • Mesoamerica • Andean A. MESOAMERICAN REGION The term Mesoamerica (Middle America, between North and South America) describes a region that included Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. 3 most notable Pre-Columbian civilizations: • Aztec (Mexica) • Maya • Inca Other Cultural Groups: • Olmec • Teotihuacan • Toltec • Mixtec • Zapotec • Chavin • Moche • Nazca • Wari • Lambayeque • Chimú • Chancay Materials for Construction: • Limestone • Volcanic rocks • Adobe bricks • Tezontle (a porous stone much favored by the Aztecs) Religion: The Toltecs and the Aztecs believed in blood sacrifice to keep the cosmos in balance. They believed that these rituals ensured the sun would rise again and crops would grow. All things, whether animate or inanimate, were imbued with an unseen power like spirits inhabiting rocks, trees, and other objects (a concept we call animism). The most important gods were those representing the sun, moon, rain and corn. Children were sacrificed in an ancient Inca practice known as capacocha. The Incas performed child sacrifices during or after important events, such as the death of the Sapa Inca (emperor) or during a famine. An Inca sacrifice was given a steady diet of alcohol and coca (cocaine) for a year prior to death. ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER The most important building type was the temple pyramid that served a lot of functions: • sacrificial centers • centers of worship and religious festivities • as royal tombs • astronomical observatories Characteristics of temple pyramids: • located at center of cities • laid out with great skill • monumental • formal planning • flat roofs • no windows • square-headed doors • construction system was post and lintel (trabeated) • important buildings were faced with fine or rough rubbles Characteristics of ornaments: • vivid colors • sensitivity to texture • adaption of weaving techniques in stone reliefs • stone carving iconography depicting animals, gods, and great kings AZTECS Aztec architecture presented a sense of order and symmetry, and its design elements were portrayals of the power of its kingdom like eagles and serpents. Stone statues, Aztec masks, pottery, shields, knives, carved pillars, and painted walls are objects of art. MAYA Maya Architecture: • features the roof comb, a decorative element at the top. • highly decorated and painted with reliefs Buildings were sited to take advantage of: • natural panoramas • solar and other celestial orientation EXAMPLES Cuicuilco Pyramid, Mexico is circular in plan with 4 stages surmounted by a small temple at the top. Base diameter is 134 m. Teotihuacan, Mexico Lining the immense Avenue of the Dead (3 km. long), the unique group of sacred monuments and places of worship at Teotihuacan constitutes an outstanding example of a pre-Columbian ceremonial center. It was a sacred place of exceptional value and one of the largest cities in Mesoamerica. Important structures are the Pyramid of the Moon, Pyramid of the Sun, the Ciudadela (“Citadel”) and the Temple of Quetzalcoatl (the Feathered Serpent). It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, 1987. Pyramid of the Sun, Mexico is an important 4-stage temple that forms part of the complex at Teotihuacan. • • Temple of Quetzalcoatl, (The Feathered Serpent), Teotihuacan, Mexico. The levels are separated by deep friezes (tableros). Temple of Inscriptions, Palenque, Mexico was used for ritual functions and the burial place of Pakal the Great, Palenque's most decorated leader. Temple of Kukulkan or El Castillo, Chichen Itza, Yucatan has a second underneath pyramid known as the Temple of the Red Jaguar. During the Equinox, the shadows from the corner tiers slither down the northern side of the pyramid with the sun's movement to the serpent's head at the base. This phenomenon is "the symbolic descent of Kukulkan" and believed to be associated with agricultural rituals. Temple of the Warriors, Chichen Itza, Yucatan is one of the most impressive and important structures at Chichen Itza. All square columns are carved in bas-relief with Toltec warriors. It has bas-reliefs of warriors, eagles and jaguars devouring human hearts. Temple of the Great Jaguar /Temple of Ah Cacao, Tikal, Guatemala (732 AD) was a funerary temple for King Chocolate. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979. Great Ball Court, Chichen Itza, Yucatan is largest ball court in ancient Mesoamerica (166 by 68 m.) It has bas-relief of Maya and Toltec players against a richly carved background of plants and serpents. Mitla was the most important religious center of the Zapotec culture. The palaces have geometric patterns on walls. Palace of the Governors, Uxmal, Mexico was raised on a plain platform with a richly decorated upper building, one of the best examples of Puuc architecture. It has corbelled arch and stone carvings of serpents, lattice work and mask of the god Chac. Tenochtitlan (Old Mexico) was the center of the Aztec world. The Aztec (also called Mexica) was the last major civilization of Mesoamerica. Spanish conquerors called Tenochtitlan the “Venice of the New World” because it was a man-made island with an intricate network of canals. It was one of the biggest cities in Mesoamerica. Dominating the center is the Great Temple. The archaeological site is now a UNESCO World Heritage, 1987. Templo Mayor, Tenochtitlan was the center of the universe according to Aztec beliefs. B. CENTRAL ANDEAN REGION The Central Andean region includes Ecuador, Peru, western Bolivia, and northern and central Argentina and Chile. Materials for Construction: • Black Andesite • Yucay Limestone • Diorite Porphyry • Adobe Brick ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER a. Coastal Regions • Terraced structures Walls were patterned with geometric forms cut from clay paste Adobe bricks was the basic building material. EXAMPLES: Temple of the Sun, Moche was built of adobe bricks with colorful mud plaster murals. Chanchan, the capital of the Chimu Empire had an area of 6 sq. miles. All buildings were of adobe bricks decorated with adobe mosaics with patterns of woven designs cut into mud plaster. Caral, Peru (3,000 BC -1,900 BC) • oldest known civilization of the Americas • monumental earthen platform mounds and sunken circular courts • stone walls were placed in plant fiber nets that acted as shock absorbers for earthquakes • UNESCO World Heritage, 2009 b. Highlands • Buildings were built of rubble bonded with clay • Walls were cut irregularly in polygonal shapes and finished in cushion-like form. • Stones fitted together with great precision • Superb quality of masonry EXAMPLES: Sacsayhuaman was a fortress to protect Cuzco, the sacred city of the Incas. The architecture displayed the Inca’s skill in stone masonry. Blocks interlocked and the walls were sloped to maximize their resistance to earthquake. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site, 1983. Machu-Picchu (old peak in Quechua) is a pre-Columbian 15thcentury Inca site located at 2430 meters above sea level. It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, the mountain towering above it is Huayna Picchu. Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (1438–1472) but there is also evidence that it was an important religious site. The Incas started building around AD 1400 but abandoned it as an official site for the Inca rulers a century later at the time of the Spanish Conquest. Although known locally, it was unknown to the outside world before being brought to international attention in 1911 by the American historian Hiram Bingham. The central buildings of Machu Picchu use the classical Inca architectural style of polished dry-stone walls of regular shape. The Incas were masters of this technique, called ashlar, in which blocks of stone are cut to fit together tightly without mortar. Many junctions in the central city are so perfect that it is said not even a blade of grass fits between the stones. Peru is a highly seismic land, and mortar-free construction was more earthquake-resistant than using mortar. The stones of Machu Picchu are therefore also known as “dancing stones”. When an earthquake occurs, the stones move in the rhythm of the earth’s motion, instead of rigidly opposing and breaking. Then they sit back in their original position to rest. Machu Picchu was listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. It was voted one of the New 7 Wonders of the World in a worldwide Internet poll in 2007.