Pre-Columbian Architecture Notes PDF

ARCHITECTURE OF PRE-COLUMBIAN AMERICA Pre-Columbian Architecture is the architecture of the indigenous astronomical observatories civilizations of Mesoamerica and the Andes and of neighboring cultures before the 16th century AD. Ancient civilizations of Mexico, Central America and So...

ARCHITECTURE OF PRE-COLUMBIAN AMERICA Pre-Columbian Architecture is the architecture of the indigenous astronomical observatories 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. Characteristics of temple pyramids: located at center of cities 3 most notable Pre-Columbian civilizations: laid out with great skill Aztec (Mexica) monumental Maya formal planning Inca flat roofs Other Cultural Groups: no windows Olmec square-headed doors Teotihuacan construction system was post and lintel (trabeated) Toltec important buildings were faced with fine or rough rubbles Mixtec Zapotec Characteristics of ornaments: Chavin vivid colors Moche sensitivity to texture Nazca adaption of weaving techniques in stone reliefs Wari stone carving iconography depicting animals, gods, and Lambayeque great kings Chimú Chancay AZTECS Aztec architecture presented a sense of order and symmetry, and Materials for Construction: its design elements were portrayals of the power of its kingdom Limestone like eagles and serpents. Volcanic rocks Stone statues, Aztec masks, pottery, shields, knives, carved Adobe bricks pillars, and painted walls are objects of art. Tezontle (a porous stone much favored by the Aztecs) MAYA Religion: Maya Architecture: The Toltecs and the Aztecs believed in blood sacrifice to keep the features the roof comb, a decorative element at the top. cosmos in balance. They believed that these rituals ensured the highly decorated and painted with reliefs sun would rise again and crops would grow. All things, whether Buildings were sited to take advantage of: animate or inanimate, were imbued with an unseen power like natural panoramas spirits inhabiting rocks, trees, and other objects (a concept we call solar and other celestial orientation animism). The most important gods were those representing the sun, moon, EXAMPLES rain and corn. Children were sacrificed in an ancient Inca practice known as Cuicuilco Pyramid, Mexico is circular in plan with 4 stages capacocha. surmounted by a small temple at the top. Base diameter is 134 m. The Incas performed child sacrifices during or after important events, such as the death of the Sapa Inca (emperor) or during a Teotihuacan, Mexico famine. Lining the immense Avenue of the Dead (3 km. long), the unique An Inca sacrifice was given a steady diet of alcohol and coca group of sacred monuments and places of worship at Teotihuacan (cocaine) for a year prior to death. constitutes an outstanding example of a pre-Columbian ceremonial center. It was a sacred place of exceptional value and ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER one of the largest cities in Mesoamerica. Important structures are The most important building type was the temple pyramid that the Pyramid of the Moon, Pyramid of the Sun, the Ciudadela served a lot of functions: (“Citadel”) and the Temple of Quetzalcoatl (the Feathered sacrificial centers Serpent). It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, 1987. centers of worship and religious festivities as royal tombs UST Architecture | Copyright © 2024 by HOA1 Sub-cluster | No reproduction without written consent of HOA1 Sub-Cluster Page 1  Pyramid of the Sun, Mexico is an important 4-stage temple that Walls were patterned with geometric forms cut from clay forms part of the complex at Teotihuacan. paste Adobe bricks was the basic building material. Temple of Quetzalcoatl, (The Feathered Serpent), Teotihuacan, Mexico. The levels are separated by deep friezes (tableros). EXAMPLES: Temple of Inscriptions, Palenque, Mexico was used for ritual Temple of the Sun, Moche was built of adobe bricks with colorful functions and the burial place of Pakal the Great, Palenque's most mud plaster murals. decorated leader. Chanchan, the capital of the Chimu Empire had an area of 6 sq. Temple of Kukulkan or El Castillo, Chichen Itza, Yucatan miles. All buildings were of adobe bricks decorated with adobe has a second underneath pyramid known as the Temple of the mosaics with patterns of woven designs cut into mud plaster. Red Jaguar. During the Equinox, the shadows from the corner tiers slither down Caral, Peru (3,000 BC -1,900 BC) the northern side of the pyramid with the sun's movement to the oldest known civilization of the Americas serpent's head at the base. monumental earthen platform mounds and sunken circular This phenomenon is "the symbolic descent of Kukulkan" and courts believed to be associated with agricultural rituals. stone walls were placed in plant fiber nets that acted as shock absorbers for earthquakes Temple of the Warriors, Chichen Itza, Yucatan is one of the most UNESCO World Heritage, 2009 impressive and important structures at Chichen Itza. All square columns are carved in bas-relief with Toltec warriors. b. Highlands It has bas-reliefs of warriors, eagles and jaguars devouring human Buildings were built of rubble bonded with clay hearts. Walls were cut irregularly in polygonal shapes and finished in cushion-like form. Temple of the Great Jaguar /Temple of Ah Cacao, Tikal, Stones fitted together with great precision Guatemala (732 AD) was a funerary temple for King Chocolate. Superb quality of masonry It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979. EXAMPLES: Great Ball Court, Chichen Itza, Yucatan is largest ball court in ancient Mesoamerica (166 by 68 m.) Sacsayhuaman was a fortress to protect Cuzco, the sacred city It has bas-relief of Maya and Toltec players against a richly carved of the Incas. The architecture displayed the Inca’s skill in stone background of plants and serpents. masonry. Blocks interlocked and the walls were sloped to maximize their resistance to earthquake. It’s a UNESCO World Mitla was the most important religious center of the Zapotec Heritage Site, 1983. culture. The palaces have geometric patterns on walls. Machu-Picchu (old peak in Quechua) is a pre-Columbian 15th- Palace of the Governors, Uxmal, Mexico was raised on a plain century Inca site located at 2430 meters above sea level. It is platform with a richly decorated upper building, one of the best situated on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, examples of Puuc architecture. the mountain towering above it is Huayna Picchu. Most It has corbelled arch and stone carvings of serpents, lattice work archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate and mask of the god Chac. for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (1438–1472) but there is also evidence that it was an important religious site. Tenochtitlan (Old Mexico) was the center of the Aztec world. The The Incas started building around AD 1400 but abandoned it as Aztec (also called Mexica) was the last major civilization of an official site for the Inca rulers a century later at the time of the Mesoamerica. Spanish Conquest. Although known locally, it was unknown to the Spanish conquerors called Tenochtitlan the “Venice of the New outside world before being brought to international attention in World” because it was a man-made island with an intricate network 1911 by the American historian Hiram Bingham. of canals. The central buildings of Machu Picchu use the classical Inca It was one of the biggest cities in Mesoamerica. Dominating the architectural style of polished dry-stone walls of regular shape. center is the Great Temple. The Incas were masters of this technique, called ashlar, in which The archaeological site is now a UNESCO World Heritage, 1987. 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 Templo Mayor, Tenochtitlan was the center of the universe blade of grass fits between the stones. according to Aztec beliefs. Peru is a highly seismic land, and mortar-free construction was more earthquake-resistant than using mortar. The stones of B. CENTRAL ANDEAN REGION Machu Picchu are therefore also known as “dancing stones”. The Central Andean region includes Ecuador, Peru, western When an earthquake occurs, the stones move in the rhythm of the Bolivia, and northern and central Argentina and Chile. earth’s motion, instead of rigidly opposing and breaking. Then they sit back in their original position to rest. Materials for Construction: Machu Picchu was listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. Black Andesite It was voted one of the New 7 Wonders of the World in a worldwide Yucay Limestone Internet poll in 2007. Diorite Porphyry Adobe Brick Copyright © 2024 by Ar. Ma. Vicenta Sanchez (HOA1 Sub-cluster Head)This handout was produced by the History of Architecture 1 (HOA1) ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER Sub-cluster in preparation for S.Y. 2024-25. These pages and any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used without the written consent of the University of Santo Tomas College of Architecture except for brief quotes a. Coastal Regions or for review Terraced structures UST Architecture | Copyright © 2024 by HOA1 Sub-cluster | No reproduction without written consent of HOA1 Sub-Cluster Page 2 UST Architecture | Copyright © 2024 by HOA1 Sub-cluster | No reproduction without written consent of HOA1 Sub-Cluster Page 3