Week Seven - The Americas

 The Americas

   The Americas consisted of Mexico, Peru, Guatemala, and the United States. These people were known as the Olmecs, Aztecs, Incas, and Mayan-Tolecs. They had a wide variety of interior architecture at this point even though they had no knowledge of Old World Europe. They had underground homes and cliff homes. They also made their homes out of various materials such as stone, reeds, and bricks. The Americas culture consisted of commoners and nobles. They had hereditary leadership and believed in the divine right. The divine right is a political and religious theory that the monarch’s right to rule comes directly from God himself, and not the people. The culture was also largely centered around farming, but they also had sporting events for fun. The climate of the Americas was very vast. It consisted of mainly lowlands with humid temperatures and mountains with extreme climate shifts. 

Map of The Americas

The Olmecs

   The Olmecs was the first major civilization in Mexico. It lasted from 1500 to 400 BCE. They had a very temple focused city structure. They also had very realistic art pieces. Many luxury artifacts have been found. The Olmecs had the first calendar in the Western Hemisphere and developed a hierogryphic writing system. These were phonetic heiroglyphics which were a combination of symbols and logo graphic signs. 

Olmec Heiroglyphic System

   The Olmecs had a large gap between social classes. The higher class lived in very decorated homes and wore elegant clothing with fancy jewelry. The commoners on the other hand lived in homes made of sticks and mud. Shamans were also also very common in the Olmec civilization. Shamans were people who believed that they had direct contact with the deities. They were used to contact the deities and relay messages to the rulers such as advice about agriculture due to the future weather. The Olmecs were polytheistic which means they believed in multiple deities. They believed that they got closer to the deities by bloodletting and human sacrifices. Bloodletting was the process of removing blood from a patient in attempt to heal them by removing the infected fluids. Stone carvings and small ceramic figurines and pots were associated with religious beliefs. The Olmecs were also very known for their colossal head sculptures. These were large sculptures made from basalt boulders.

Olmec Colossal Head

Other Civilizations

   Another civilization at this time was the Mayans-Tolmecs. They flourished for over 1,800 years, from about 2,000 BC to 250 CE. They were later destroyed in the Spanish conquest. The Aztecs were also well known at this time. They flourished from around 1300 to 1521 BC. The cities of Teotihuacan and Tenochtitlan were Aztec cities. They were both contained about 200,000 citizens each. Aztec cities usually had a very axial design plan. Another civilization was the Incas. This was located on the Pacific coast and mountains. Because of the variety of different climates, there was a large variety of building types. They used the trapezoid shape most frequently. They are well known for being the masters of stone cutting. They are also well known for their city Machu Picchu.

Machu Picchu

   

China

  Chinese architecture is as old as the civilization itself. Evidence shows that Chinese architecture from long ago still follows the same principles as their architecture even today. The Chinese civilization was the longest continuous civilization lasting around 4,000 years. Chinese architecture used Stupas which are mounds of dirt that would hold sculptures or pieces that represented prominent people in the Buddhist religion. Their only flaw was that they provided little space for visitors. The Chinese furthered this design by creating a Pagoda, which combined the stupa and a Chinese tower.

Chinese Pagoda

   The most well-known Chinese architecture is the Great Wall of China. It lines the Northern borer of China and is built with stone, mud, sticks, and dirt. It is 5,500-13,000 miles long with watch towers built into it. It has been featured in many movies and shows and is one of the seven wonders of the world. Indian architecture also used mainly stupas. The stupas were actually created in India. The interior side of Indian design was much less developed. They usually did not have furniture and sat on the floor instead. 

Current Applications

Aztec Tribal Patterns used in wallpapers and carpets

Modern version of a Pagoda

Indian Contemporary Design

One Step Further:

Liang Sicheng is known as the father of modern Chinese architecture. He was born on April 20, 1901, and died on January 9, 1972. His wife Lin Huiyin was also an architect. Liang was an architectural historian and one of the most prominent Chinese scholars of the early 20th century. He was also the founder of the architectural department of Northeastern University in 1928 and Tsinghua University in 1946. He found and researched many of the well-known Chinese structures still standing today. He is known for his research, teaching, and work in restoring and preserving ancient architecture. 

Extra Links:

-My Trip to Mayan Ruins

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BEfvq7g6w-1E09ioITbjVEmO4k_ZoBKF0rPy0lvq3nM/edit?tab=t.0

-How the Great Wall of China was Built

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUFLNJBj-KY