Architecture of the Americas
Contents
1. General
Characteristics
2. Examples
Architecture of the Americas
The Americas
A. Meso American –
Mayan and Aztec
cultures of Mexico
B. South America –
Incas of Peru
Architecture of the Americas
1. General characteristics
Evolved without any contact
whatsoever with the outside
world
This astounding fact is
balanced by another – the
inconsistency within
themselves.
The Americas had no wheel,
no use of beast burden and
no system of weight and
measures. They did not use
iron tools nor did they have
the true arch.
Architecture of the Americas
A. Meso American
(Mexico)
Include Mayan,
Toltec and Aztec
cultures
Temples and palaces
were significant
building types
Architecture of the Americas
Mayan Civilization
The Mayan civilization
encompassed all of the
Yucatán Peninsula in
present-day Mexico and
parts of present-day
Guatemala, Honduras, and
El Salvador. Ruins of
Mayan cities, which serve
as an indication of the skill
and artistry of their
architects, have been
discovered throughout this
region.
Architecture of the Americas
Mayan Civilization
The Mayan religion centre
d on the worship of a
large number of nature
gods. Chac, a god of rain,
was especially important
in popular ritual.
Architecture of the Americas
Example
Chichén Itzá,
Mexico
Archaeologists believe
that the Formative period
of Mayan civilization
began as early as 1500 bc,
but the peak of Mayan
cultural achievement came
during the Classic period,
ad 300 to 900. Chichén
Itzá, shown here, was
founded early in the 6th
century and was one of
the most important Mayan
cities.
Architecture of the Americas
Chichén Itzá,
Mexico
Architecture of the Americas
AZTEC CULTURE
The Spanish conquistador
Hernán Cortés
encountered the Aztecs in
1519 and within two years
had destroyed their capital
city, Tenochtitlán, where
Mexico City now stands.
But he passed over the
nearby centre of the older
Teotihuacán culture (100
bc-ad 700), which has
now been extensively
restored and excavated.
Architecture of the Americas
Eg. Teotihuacan – the
city of the gods
Originally the capital
city of the mayas (2nd c
BC-15th c AD)
Dominated by two vast
pyramids
The pyramid of the sun
The pyramid of the
moon
Architecture of the Americas
Pyramid of the Sun,
Teotihuacán
The Pyramid of the Sun at
Teotihuacán, Mexico, was built
between ad 50 and 200. It is
made of layers of clay faced
with stone, and stands about
61m high. In the centre, a long
flight of steps leads to the
summit. The site is oriented on
the axis of the sun at the
summer solstice. In 1987
Teotihuacán was designated a
UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Architecture of the Americas
Eg. Teotihuacán
Architecture of the Americas
The top was truncated
to provide a flat area for
the temple proper
Monumental stair ways
were designed to link
each terrace
2. Palaces
Appear to have been
one storey and raised
on a platform
Gardens
Architecture of the Americas
B. South America
(Peru)
Inca Empire civilization of
the Early 1500s
The Inca, a South American
people, built one of the
largest and wealthiest
empires in the western
hemisphere during the mid-
1400s. Included regions of
present-day Colombia,
Ecuador, Peru, Chile,
Bolivia, and Argentina. The
city of Cuzco, situated in
southern Peru, served as
the Inca capital.
Architecture of the Americas
The most
accomplished stone
masons
Finely shaped and
finished stones
without iron chisels
(a knife blade could
not be inserted
between them)
Architecture of the Americas
Examples
Eg. Machu Picchu, Cuzco,
Peru
Machu Picchu, a ruined Inca
city high in the Andes, was
discovered in 1911 by
American explorer Hiram
Bingham. Bingham believed
the city to be the last refuge
of the Incas from Spanish
invaders. Machu Picchu was
designated a UNESCO World
Heritage Site in 1983.
Architecture of the Americas
Regular blocks were
used in the capital
At the mountain
fortress the stones
were irregular
polygons with
amazing scale 98m
high and 360m long
wall.
Architecture of the Americas
Design and buildings
were quite uniform –
testifying a well
organized and
centralized system
of government
No traces of
ornamentation on
Inca buildings
Architecture of the Americas
Those deemed worthy
of embellishment were
granted the most lavish
treatment – being
plated in sheets of
beaten gold – a
splendor that spelled
the end of the Incas –
fabulous riches
attracted the invaders.
