Maya architecture is best characterized

by the soaring pyramid temples and ornate

palaces which were built in all Maya centers
across Mesoamerica from El Tajin in the north
to Copan in the South. The Maya civilization
was formed of independent city-states and,
consequently, there are regional variations in
architecture but almost all buildings were
constructed with a precise attention to position
and layout and a general style prevails. Multi-
level elevated platforms, massive step-
pyramids, corbelled roofing, monumental
stairways, and exteriors decorated with MAYAN TRADITIONAL HOUSE
sculpture and mouldings of Maya glyphs,
geometric shapes, and iconography from
religion such as serpent masks are all typical
features of Maya architecture.
Maya houses were built on low
platforms that delineated the space of nuclear
family plots including family cemeteries.
Usually this solaris (lots) were delineated by
➢ The house was rectangular with rounded corners.
albarradas (low walls made narrowly stacked
➢ No windows
stone). Each family’s lot include their hut, a
➢ Door faces at the east
well, latrine, a chicken coup, a garden and a
➢ The floor made of sascab (gravel covered with
rustic-roof batea (laundry room).
packed soil)
 Even elements from the commoners
were combined in pyramid friezes. For
example, the buildings integrated the designs
of lattices much like those found today in
rural Maya homes.
Designers also integrated miniature
riddled with symbolic snakes, images of
animals, flowers and humans. Stone
constructions were commonly covered with
stucco, which was generally painted red. The
temple’s crests were constructed with
relatively thin walls, which gave the buildings
more height, and therefore more presence. It
is also thought that these crests may have
served as astral points for ancient
astronomers. To the ancient Maya, all of these
elements—some of which might look only
decorative—formed a mosaic of sacred
symbols.

Temples are where rituals for the gods

were performed here. The temples sat atop
pyramids and had plenty of external decorative
designs. They had internal chambers and a
sanctuary, which served as an altar. In some
cases, the temples had murals and panels carved
in stone.

Palaces were situated alone or in groups over platforms, inside of the ceremonial centers.
They had flat walls, which were decorated with friezes. Their many internal chambers served as
habitats for the governing class
 TENOCHTITLAN
Aztec architecture reflects the
values and civilization of an empire, and
studying Aztec architecture is
instrumental in understanding the history
of the Aztecs, including their migration
across Mexico and their re-enactment of
religious rituals. Aztec architecture can
be best described as monumental. Its
purpose was to manifest power, while at
the same time adhering to strong
religious beliefs. This is evident in the
design of the temples, shrines, palaces,
and everyday homes.
TEMPLE
The capital city of the Aztec MAYOR
Empire was Tenochtitlán, located in
present day Mexico City. Tenochtitlán
was an overwhelming, monumental city
that was built on top of small islands and
marsh lands. It was the third largest city
in the world, after Constantinople and
Paris, housing 200,000 inhabitants at its
height. Tenochtitlán was the city where
the most impressive and monumental
Aztec architecture was to be found. After
the Spanish conquest, the city was
looted, torn down, and its materials were
used to build present day Mexico City.
From archaeological and various
historical documents, such as Spanish
Chronicles and codices written by friars,
Indians and other historians, the extent
and significance of the Aztec architecture
can be deciphered.

The Aztecs used primitive tools like stone,

chisels and blades for their construction,
rudimentary tools by the modern
standards, but it didn’t hold the Aztecs
back. They focused on building strong
foundations since the soil on their ground
was susceptible to sinking due to warm
TEZONTLE and often damp climate. The Aztecs used a
colorful and easily cut volcanic stone
called tezontle to form the base of their
construction. The Aztecs additionally used
local stone materials like rubble and
limestone that were found in the area, and
these were often traded as well.
 General Construction of Pyramid-Temples 13 skies
Pyramid-temples were built to facilitate the Aztec
religion and worldview. Building pyramid
temples was one of the most important Red
architectural duties for the Aztecs because of their Blue
religious significance. They were government Tezcatlipoca
Tezcatlipoca
sponsored public works designed to create a sense reed
of religious piety and imperial power. They were rabbit
E
believed to represent mountains that were the
sources of water and fertility, and the home of the
spirits of Aztec ancestors. Pyramid-temples, like
mountains, also symbolized the concept of
altepetl, meaning the heart of the city filled with
N
fertilizing water. They also served as important S
sanctuaries where rituals were celebrated, and
important people were sometimes buried within
them. More importantly, they represented the
celestial order where the cosmos was divided into
13 sections, each associated with a different W
superhuman phenomenon. For that reason,
according to Van Zantwijk, many of the pyramids Black White
that followed the blueprint of the Great Temple Tezcatlipoca Quetzalcoatl
consisted of four platforms built step like on top of house
flint knife
each other, relating to the four cardinal directions. 19 underworld
The three lower platforms multiplied by the four
sides, consisted of 12 sections (3 X 4); the 13 HE
section was the small top platform where the dual
temples of Huitzilopochtli and Tlaloc were built.

Temples were the center point for the four cardinal

directions, the place where the vertical channel or axis led
to heaven and the underworld and where the supreme ruler
interacted with the gods. Many of the ceremonies held at
the temples followed seasonal and festival calendars.
According to Aztec beliefs, it was essential to provide the
gods with nourishment in order to prevent the end of the
world. The nourishment of the gods was the blood shed
during human sacrifice. Not all temples were built for
human sacrifice. The Aztecs were a polytheistic people
who built various temples in honor of different gods. For
that reason, the offerings or honors presented to different
deities varied. In addition, temples were places for the
renewal of the empire, altars of rebirth and hope.
 Inca architecture includes some of the
most finely worked stone structures from any
ancient civilization. Inca buildings were almost
always practical and pleasing to the eye. They are
also remarkably uniform in design with even
grand imperial structures taking on a similar look
to more humble buildings, the only significant
differences being their much larger scale and
quality of finish. Fond of duality in many other
areas, another feature of Inca architecture is that it
typically incorporated the natural landscape yet at
the same time managed to dominate it to create an
often spectacular blend of geometrical and natural
forms. Stone was the material of choice and was
finely worked to produce a precise arrangement
of interlocking blocks in the finest buildings. The
stone was of three types: Yucay limestone,
green Sacsayhuaman diorite porphyry, and black
andesite. Each block of stone could weigh many
tons and they were quarried and shaped using
nothing more than harder stones and bronze tools.
Marks on the stone blocks indicate that they were
mostly pounded into shape rather than cut. Blocks
were moved using ropes, logs, poles, levers and
ramps (tell-tale marks can still be seen on some
blocks) and some stones still have nodes
protruding from them or indentations which were
used to help workers grip the stone. The fine
cutting and setting of the blocks on site was so
precise that mortar was not necessary. Finally, a
finished surface was often provided using
grinding stones and sand.

BUILDING MATERIALS
 The vast majority of Inca buildings were
rectangular and most of these had a single entrance
and were composed of only one room as dividing
walls are not common in Inca design. There are some
rare examples of multiple-doored long rectangular
structures and even buildings which were circular or
U-shaped but the norm was for straight-walled
structures. Most buildings had only a single storey but
there are some structures with two, especially those
built into hillsides and the more impressive imperial
structures at the capital Cuzco where sometimes there
are examples of three-storey buildings.
Inca exterior walls commonly slope inwards as they
rise (typically around 5 degrees), giving the building a
distinctive trapezoid form. The trapeziod form is more
common in the north and centre of the empire and one
of its optical effects is to make walls seem higher and
thicker than they actually are. The trapezoid motif was
repeated in doorways, windows and interior wall
niches. Doorways and windows often also have
double jambs and the former are usually topped with
a large single stone lintel. CUZCO CAPITAL

Rectangular buildings could be grouped in

threes (or more) and arranged around an open
but walled courtyard or patio, perhaps the
most common Inca arrangement of buildings.
This mini-complex is known as a kancha and
functioned as administrative buildings,
workshops, temples, accommodation or a mix
of these. Very large buildings are known as
a kallanka and these typically have several
doors and face a large open space, often (once
KALLANKA, MACHU PICCHU again) trapezoid in layout. They were
probably used for public gatherings and as
accommodation for representatives of the
Inca administration and were clear public
symbols of imperial control. Palaces were
similar in design to smaller buildings just on a
larger scale, with finer stonework and very
often walled to restrict access and the viewing
of royal personages.