Reading Response 3: Teotihuacan Can Plan

Located in Central America, Teotihuacan was one the largest and most impressive cities in the Americas for hundreds of years. Geographically, this culture was far removed from the developments and influences from the other side of the world. What I find so intriguing about this city are the parallels found in architecture and design between the Mayan culture and others across the world, and the lesson that perhaps the foundations of good design are the same for humanity as a whole.

As a whole, Teotihuacan:
-was located in central Mexico
-was built and inhabited for 800 years
-grew from 6000 people to over 150,000 by 600 CE.

http://www.jqjacobs.net/mesoamerica/images/piramide_sol.jpg

The largest Pyramid in Teotihuacan (seen above), the Pyramid of the Sun, was built over a four-chambered cave, which was the hearth of the Mayan empire. Caves were considered integral to the Mayan religion, seen as the origin for the gods and ancestors.

http://www.escapedtolatinamerica.com/images/teotihuacan.jpg

Backing out a bit, at the base of the Pyramid of the Moon is the citadel, which was the center meeting place for the Mayan culture (seen above with the Pyramid of the Sun to the left in the image). There is a raised platform in the middle of the circle, which was oriented at the end of the Avenue of the Dead, the central axis of city.

The repetition of stacks in these pyramid structures is reminiscent of the other sites seen in Mesopotamia, Asia, Egypt and even the base structures of the Acropolis. In contrast, these enormous structures were built from sun-dried bricks without wheels and beasts used in other parts of the world.

http://www.siloam.net/members.aol.com/rex1kids/private/maya1/teotich2.gif

When backing out to the site plan (seen above), perhaps the most striking thing to me about this civilization is the strong central axis and grid pattern. This urban planning method is also seen in other various cultures around the world. The major difference is that here the orientation of the grid pattern is based on the patterns of the sun, moon and stars, which reflects the strong astronomy based Mayan society.

I find this civilization absolutely fascinating for their isolation and major innovations. There is the repetition of other themes found in other parts of the world: stacks, strong centrality, symmetry along an axis. In addition, their strong urban model on a grid pattern reflects a hierarchical society that values order.

I think it is clear as we investigate the foundations of architecture around the world that basic concepts can be seen reflected across many different cultures that had limited interaction with each other. To me, this indicates that humanity has common principles of design that are pleasing across cultures. This universality is important to me as I begin to piece together my first designs. Balance, symmetry, order, circles, groves, and stacks are all fundamental elements to consider and potentially incorporate in my designs.