Aztec architecture

Aztec architecture reflects the migration of the Aztec culture across present-day Mexico.{{Cite book|last=Aguilar-Moreno|first=Manuel|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZseasJq3WzEC&dq=aztec+architecture&pg=PR5|title=Handbook to Life in the Aztec World|date=2007|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-533083-0|language=en}} The style of early Aztec pyramids was influenced by those of Classic and other Postclassic Mesoamerican societies. Aztec architecture subsequently influenced later Mesoamerican styles.{{Cite book|last=Rice|first=Don Stephen|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k2uX2NnOH9EC&pg=PA295|title=Latin American Horizons: A Symposium at Dumbarton Oaks, 11th and 12th October 1986|date=1993|publisher=Dumbarton Oaks|isbn=978-0-88402-207-7|language=en}} As Manuel Aguilar-Moreno writes, "Aztec architecture was heavily influenced by the Toltec of Colhuacan, the Tepanec of Azcapotzalco, and the Acolhua of Tetzcoco".{{cite book |last1=Aguilar-Moreno |first1=Manuel |title=Handbook to Life in the Aztec World |date=2007 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-533083-0 |page=217 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZseasJq3WzEC&dq=aztec+architectural+style&pg=PR5 |access-date=7 March 2023}} It is important to note that since the Aztec Empire was largely built through conquest, the Aztecs had the challenge of incorporating the ethnic groups of the regions they conquered into one unified empire. By having a distinct architectural style, the Aztec Empire was able to promote its worldview and showcase the power of the Empire's military.{{cite book |last1=Aguilar-Moreno |first1=Manuel |title=Handbook to Life in the Aztec World |date=2007 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-533083-0 |page=218 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZseasJq3WzEC&dq=aztec+architectural+style&pg=PR5 |access-date=7 March 2023}}

The ancient Aztecs focused on cosmology, astronomy, and religion as their main sources of inspiration. Aztec religious beliefs are reflected in the designs of the religious structures as well as domestic structures. Research into the significance of building alignment in Aztec culture has shown that the dates of sunrises and sunsets along architectural orientation exhibit a pattern of separated intervals that are largely multiples of 13 and 20 days. This detail suggests to experts that the orientation of these structures was related to the Mesoamerican calendrical system. It has also been discovered that the dates that occur most frequently in these orientations align with important days in the ritual agricultural cycle of the Aztecs.{{cite journal |last1=Šprajc |first1=Ivan |title=Astronomical Alignments at the Templo Mayor of Tenochtitlan, Mexico |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/002182860003102502 |journal=Journal for the History of Astronomy |year=2000 |volume=31 |issue=25 |publisher=Science History Publications, Ltd. |access-date=7 March 2023 |page=1|doi=10.1177/002182860003102502 |s2cid=117355888 |url-access=subscription }}

Some of the most well-known architecture of the Aztec Empire was located in the capital city Tenochtitlan, which was destroyed after the Spanish conquest in the 16th century. Materials taken from the city were then used in the construction of Mexico City. Because of the construction of Mexico City, not much archaeological evidence remains at important Aztec sites such as the Aztec Temple Square.{{Cite book|last=Association for Computer-Aided Design in Architecture. Conference|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/48456547|title=Reinventing the discourse : how digital tools help bridge and transform research, education and practice in architecture : proceedings of the twenty first annual conference of the Association for Computer-Aided Design in Architecture, October 11–14, 2001, Buffalo, New York|date=2001|publisher=Association for Computer-Aided Design in Architecture|others=Wassim Jabi, Association for Computer-Aided Design in Architecture|isbn=1-880250-10-1|location=[Place of publication not identified]|oclc=48456547}}

Aztec architectural sites include Malinalco, Tenayuca, conquered by the Aztecs circa 1434. This site is the earliest known example of the typical Aztec double pyramid—joined pyramidal bases supporting two temples—and the Templo Mayor, the biggest building in the Aztec city Tenochtitlan.

Aztec architecture is characterized by symmetry and elements like geometric designs and sweeping lines. Other key stylistic traits include the use of "bas-reliefs, walls, plazas, and platforms as media to represent their gods and ideals," according to Manuel Aguilar-Moreno.

There are also many symbolic elements inherent in Aztec architecture, including the four cardinal directions, which each represents a deity, color, and symbol. Animal symbols were also utilized in the architectural style of the Aztecs: eagles represent the sun and warriors, serpents represented water or fire, and conch shells symbolized fertility.{{cite web|title=Aztec Architecture|url=http://www.legendsandchronicles.com/ancient-civilizations/the-ancient-aztecs/aztec-architecture/|access-date=2019-09-24|website=Legends & Chronicles}} The temples themselves represented mountains, Aztec symbols for water and fertility. The architecture, particularly the sculptures on and in the temples, were symbolically painted.{{Cite book|last=Boone|first=Elizabeth Hill|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OGsoeY1s3h8C&pg=PA11|title=Painted Architecture and Polychrome Monumental Sculpture in Mesoamerica: A Symposium at Dumbarton Oaks, 10th to 11th October, 1981|date=1985|publisher=Dumbarton Oaks|isbn=978-0-88402-142-1|language=en}} Each cardinal direction was represented by a color and ruled by a religious figure, details which were incorporated into Aztec architecture on many occasions. The north was believed to be ruled by the god Tezcatlipoca, the god of the night. The north was represented by the color black. The south was said to be ruled by Huitzilopochtli, the god of the sun and warfare, and characterized by the color blue.

The structures in the city of Tenochtitlan included temples, palaces, and platforms. The temples were terraced pyramids with steep stairs leading up to the main temple. Domestic structures reflected the social and financial status of inhabitants.{{Cite journal|last1=Olson|first1=Jan Marie|last2=Smith|first2=Michael E.|title=Material Expressions of Wealth and Social Class at Aztec-Period Sites in Morelos, Mexico|date=2016|journal=Ancient Mesoamerica|language=en|volume=27|issue=1|pages=133–147|doi=10.1017/S0956536115000334|issn=0956-5361|doi-access=free}}

Elites lived in palaces, which were called tecpans.{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/57392889|title=Palaces of the ancient new world : a symposium at Dumbarton Oaks, 10th and 11th October 1998|date=2004|publisher=Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection|others=Susan Toby Evans, Joanne Pillsbury, Dumbarton Oaks|isbn=0-88402-300-1|location=Washington, D.C.|oclc=57392889}} The word tecpan is often used as a shorthand for many different types of palaces, regardless of any special functions individual structures may have had.{{cite web |last1=Evans |first1=Susan |title=Aztec Palaces and Other Elite Residential Architecture |url=https://ens9004-infd.mendoza.edu.ar/sitio/historia-america-latina/upload/05-%20EVANS%20&%20PILLSBURY%20-%20LIBRO%20-%20Palaces%20of%20the%20Ancient%20New%20World.pdf#page=16 |website=Mendoza.edu |publisher=Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection |access-date=7 March 2023}} "Most commonly, the term [tecpan] meant the home of a hereditary lord, and it also took on associated meanings, such as the seat of government, place of riches and art, and idyllic retreat amidst scenery and diversions".{{cite web |last1=Evans |first1=Susan |title=Aztec Palaces and Other Elite Residential Architecture |url=https://ens9004-infd.mendoza.edu.ar/sitio/historia-america-latina/upload/05-%20EVANS%20&%20PILLSBURY%20-%20LIBRO%20-%20Palaces%20of%20the%20Ancient%20New%20World.pdf#page=16 |website=Mendoza.edu |publisher=Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection |access-date=7 March 2023 |page=17}}

Aztec palaces consisted of three main types: Administrative palaces, mansions of wealthy nobles, and pleasure palaces and retreats. Administrative palaces served as the location for local government, as well as the residences of local rulers. The focal point of these structures was a large courtyard near the entrance of the building, surrounded by suites that served various purposes. "The form of the tecpan is dominated by a large courtyard, opening onto the community plaza, which is best seen as a kind of mega-courtyard for the community," according to Susan Evans.{{cite web |last1=Evans |first1=Susan |title=Aztec Palaces and Other Elite Residential Architecture |url=https://ens9004-infd.mendoza.edu.ar/sitio/historia-america-latina/upload/05-%20EVANS%20&%20PILLSBURY%20-%20LIBRO%20-%20Palaces%20of%20the%20Ancient%20New%20World.pdf#page=16 |website=Mendoza.edu |publisher=Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection |access-date=7 March 2023 |page=23}} The mansions of wealthy nobles were used solely as residences, and were constructed in accordance with Aztec sumptuary laws.{{cite web |last1=Evans |first1=Susan |title=Aztec Palaces and Other Elite Residential Architecture |url=https://ens9004-infd.mendoza.edu.ar/sitio/historia-america-latina/upload/05-%20EVANS%20&%20PILLSBURY%20-%20LIBRO%20-%20Palaces%20of%20the%20Ancient%20New%20World.pdf#page=16 |website=Mendoza.edu |publisher=Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection |access-date=7 March 2023 |page=18}} Pleasure palaces and retreats served many purposes, ranging from add-on structures at religious shrines to more opulent structures, such as Nezahualcoyotl's baths, located at Texcotzingo.

Substantial evidence has been found for only a few dozen tecpans out of the hundreds that once stood throughout the Aztec Empire. Most of these confirmed findings are administrative tecpans.

Pyramid-temples, or teocalli, were religious buildings whose construction was sponsored by the government to emphasize the religious significance of the area, as well as its imperial might.{{cite book |last1=Aguilar-Moreno |first1=Manuel |title=Handbook to Life in the Aztec World |date=2007 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-533083-0 |page=220 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZseasJq3WzEC&dq=aztec+architectural+style&pg=PR5 |access-date=7 March 2023}} According to Gary Feinman, Mesoamerican temples were typically rectangular structures with one entrance, located on one of its long sides. The structure of the temple was generally an elevated or shortened pyramid mound. They often consisted of two or more rooms, with an outer and inner chamber, the inner chamber being seen as more sacred.{{cite book |last1=Feinman |first1=Gary |editor-first=Michael V. |editor-last=Fox |title=Temple in Society |chapter=Mesoamerican Temples |chapter-url=https://www.academia.edu/455529 |year=1988 |isbn=978-0-931464-38-6 |via=Academia.edu |pages=67–82}}

While rectangular pyramids could be dedicated to a wide range of gods, circular pyramids could only be dedicated to one god, Ehecatl, who represented wind in Aztec culture.{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Michael |title=The Oxford Handbook of the Aztecs |date=2017 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780190634179 |page=210 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0chjDQAAQBAJ&dq=aztec+temples&pg=PA201 |access-date=7 March 2023}}

Urban designers in the Aztec period were known for placing small altars in significant locations. Some of these altars were believed to be bases for skull racks used to display victims of sacrifice. Others may have been dedicated to female fertility and curing, areas commonly associated with the tzitzimitl deities in Aztec culture. Still, others may have served as offerings to the god Tezcatlipoca.

Houses were uniform throughout most of the empire, only varying in size and ornamentation.

The Aztecs built causeways and chinampas in Tenochtitlan due to its location in the Mexico City basin. The agricultural innovation of the chinampa was a completely unique structure that used small squares of fertile ground that floated on the water as one of the first historical examples of irrigation techniques as well.{{Cite book|last=Herzog|first=Lawrence A.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wbBFO11V0IkC&pg=PR7|title=From Aztec to High Tech: Architecture and Landscape Across the Mexico–United States Border|date=2001|publisher=JHU Press|isbn=978-0-8018-6643-2|language=en}}

Additionally, ball courts were a very popular construction of architecture used to play the ancient Mesoamerican ball game. Usually the ball court was constructed in a classic "I" shape that was the standard of the game. These courts were called tlachtli or tlachco, and the game itself went by the name of ullamaliztli. Not only were these courts and the game used for the thrill of sport but also held significant religious value as well. Typically, when Aztecs resided in a new settlement construction of a shrine to Huizilopochtli and a ball court directly next to it was among the first things built.

Due to the fact that the largest major cities such as Tenochtitlan were built upon small islands with marsh-like terrain, these settlements only had so much clean drinking water. This led to the construction of Aztec aqueducts used to bring drinking water from freshwater sources and springs to the Aztec settlements.

The Aztecs had advanced knowledge of building techniques, and they knew how to adapt their techniques to the local geology and terrain of an area, particularly the soft soil. The builders traditionally constructed stone bases for the temples. J. A. Joyce writes that "[t]he physical geography of Central America was favorable to the rise of the art of building in stone."{{Cite journal|last=Joyce|first=J. A.|date=1911|title=Some Features of Mexican Architecture|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/858506|journal=The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs|volume=19|issue=99|pages=154–163|jstor=858506|issn=0951-0788}} Some structures, such as the Templo Mayor of Tenochtitlan were constructed on top of many hundreds of support piles to help stabilize the building in the marshy terrain surrounding Tenochtitlan.Wedekind, W., Ruedrich, J. & Siegesmund, S. Natural building stones of Mexico–Tenochtitlán: their use, weathering and rock properties at the Templo Mayor, Palace Heras Soto and the Metropolitan Cathedral. Environ Earth Sci 63, 1787–1798 (2011). {{doi|10.1007/s12665-011-1075-z}}

The Aztecs were also known to use gravity to create a running water system, bringing fresh water to the city grid. They also employed terracing to enhance agricultural productivity.{{Cite journal|last1=Arco|first1=Lee J.|last2=Abrams|first2=Elliot M.|date=Dec 2006|title=An essay on energetics: the construction of the Aztec chinampa system|url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/217578329|journal=Antiquity|volume=80|issue=310|pages=906–918|doi=10.1017/S0003598X00094503|s2cid=162934575 |issn=1745-1744|id={{ProQuest|217578329}}|url-access=subscription}}

Instead of demolishing old temples and building a new one at the same site, the Aztecs sometimes built over the existing structures, which resulted in larger and more detailed pyramids. Some temples have been found to have at least four or five layers.

The Aztecs designed their buildings to be functional for everyday life as well as having a major importance on buildings for religious practices, and for the gods that they worshiped. The architectural style of the Aztecs reflected relationships with a higher power. In Tenochtitlan, the layout of the city represented the birth of Huitzilopochtli,{{Cite thesis|title=Towards an understanding of Aztec architecture and urban planning|url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/cIRcle/collections/ubctheses/24/items/1.0228255|publisher=University of British Columbia|date=2016|first=García Ocampo|last=Rivera}} the Aztec god of the sun and war.{{cite journal |last1=Boone |first1=Elizabeth |title=Incarnations of the Aztec Supernatural: The Image of Huitzilopochtli in Mexico and Europe |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1006524 |journal=Transactions of the American Philosophical Society |year=1989 |volume=79 |issue=2 |doi=10.2307/1006524 |jstor=1006524 |access-date=6 March 2023|url-access=subscription }}

The teocalli, or pyramid-temples, were significant to Aztec religious practices. They were the sites of religious celebrations and rituals. The temples represented ascension. There were multiple torn levels, which each correlated with different classes. The Aztecs believed that ascension was the process of preparing oneself to please the gods. At the top was the main temple where sacrifices took place, since that was considered to be closest to the gods.{{fact|date=November 2024}}

In Cholula, Puebla a Central Aztec temple was discovered in 1978. This temple was used to worship their sun and war deity Huitzilopochtli, and the deity of fertility, water, and rain,Tlaloc. The temple contain alters where they would leave offerings, which were mainly animals and hand made sculptures. The temple also contained an alter where they would make sacrifices to the gods. They used red and blue paint to decorate the temple. Coe, Michael D. (2019). Mexico: From the Olmecs to the Aztecs. Ancient Peoples and Places Series. Javier Urcid Serrano (8th ed ed.). London: Thames & Hudson, Limited. {{ISBN|978-0-500-29373-7}}.

Aztec households were simple and uniform to the rest of the civilization. Houses could be one to two stories tall.

There is a large circular building resembling a lecture hall that was believed to be a place were the Aztecs would hold governmental affairs.

Aztec culture had class stratification. The highest social rank was that of the priesthood, which permitted access to the temples and more exclusive quarters. Members of the priesthood lived near the temples in the central areas of the city, while people of lower classes lived increasingly further away according to their status. The sizes of domestic structures reflected differences in wealth, power, and status.{{Cite journal|last1=Smith|first1=Michael E.|last2=Heath-Smith|first2=Cynthia|last3=Montiel|first3=Lisa|date=1999|title=Excavations of Aztec Urban Houses at Yautepec, Mexico|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/972199|journal=Latin American Antiquity|volume=10|issue=2|pages=133–150|doi=10.2307/972199|jstor=972199|s2cid=163928344 |issn=1045-6635|url-access=subscription}} Those who were considered in the lower social ranks had homes made up of adobe brick, and varied in size.Smith, Michael E., and Frances F. Berdan. "Archaeology and the Aztec Empire." World Archaeology 23, no. 3 (1992): 353-67/ http://ww.jstor.org/stable/124768 Those who considered to be higher class had homes made of cut stone, they had more rooms and were larger homes compared to those of a lower class, they also found things of status like jewelry in these homesHodge, Mary G. “Archaeological Views of Aztec Culture.” Journal of Archaeological Research 6, no. 3 (1998): 195–238. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41053158.

In modern times there are few ruins of the Aztec Empire remaining. There are many theories as to why there are so few ruins left of the Aztec empire. One of these theories is that there is just not enough information on how the Aztec empire ran. It could have been more agriculturally based and less building based. The Aztecs could have been focused on farming rather than building durable structures. We just do not know, there have not been enough archaeological digs to know. Another theory is that there is evidence that it was a looser system of tributaries rather than a tightly connected empire. The Aztecs may have been more worried about what they could get. Not bothering to simulate others to their beliefs. {{Cite journal |last=Smith |first=Michael E. |date=1992 |title=Archaeology and the Aztec Empire |url=http://ww.jstor.org/stable/124768 |journal=World Archaeology |volume=23 |issue=3 |pages=353–67 |jstor=124768}}

File:Metropolitan_Cathedral_&_Sagrario_-_Mexico_2024_(2).jpg

Much of the Aztec infrastructure was also destroyed by the Spanish. The Spanish Conquistadors would establish Mexico City over top of the remains of Tenochtitlan in 1521. They would raze the city to the ground on their way to taking it back. Only small pockets of the city would survive and subsequently be built over. Such as the Spanish building of the first Cathedral in Latin America called the Metropolitan Cathedral. It now resided above an Aztec Temple called Templo Mayor.{{Cite web |last=Croissant |first=Morgane |date=Jun 1, 2023 |title=The Largest and Oldest Cathedral in Latin America is Built on Top of An Aztec Temple |url=https://matadornetwork.com/read/mexico-city-metropolitan-cathedral/ |website=Matador Network}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book |author=Bernal, I |author2=Coe, M |display-authors=etal| title=The Iconography of Middle American sculpture |url=http://cdm16028.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15324coll10/id/201658 | location=New York | publisher=The Metropolitan Museum of Art | year=1973}}

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• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070331122712/http://library.thinkquest.org/10098/aztec.htm Aztec Architecture from the Think Quest Library]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070331125315/http://newton.uor.edu/facultyfolder/rebecca_brown/old/arth100/empire/AIS/aztec/Architecture.htm Aztec Architecture from the University of Redlands]

{{Aztec}}

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Category:Architectural styles

Category:Architecture in Mexico

Category:Aztec

Category:Mesoamerican architecture