Aztec Architecture and Engineering
Architecture is a great tool to define different aspects of a society. It can show how a culture learned to adapt to the environments that they came to inhabit. It can also show the importance of the culture’s religion. Architecture can also define have complex a society was. It can show how different classes of people lived. Aztec major cities were erected on marshy islands. They achieved architectural feats in all areas.
Tenochtitlan
The city of Tenochtitlan was a modern marvel that surprised the Europeans who eventually came to discover the Aztec Empire during their exploration of the Americas. The city was constructed on what was swampy islands to even build on the land they first had to create a way …show more content…
Depending on the environmental conditions three types of terraces were constructed, hillslope contour terraces, semi terraces, and cross channel terraces. The most common being the former, which ran parallel to the slop of the hill. Stones were piled before the wall was filled by digging into the side of the hill causing the terrace to fill (Smith,1996). In some areas water would have been supplied through aqueducts to water the terraces. Raised fields, or chinampas were used and mastered by Aztecs which, can also be considered an architectural and engineering feature. Chinampas were built by draining excess water from swamps creating a somewhat of an island. Mud and other natural items were gathered from the bottom of the lake and piled then secured with wooden stakes that were driven into the the bottom of the lake. Trees were also used to stabilize them. These floating fields were highly productive. While a field can only produce one crop a years, chinampas can produce several.
Pyramids and …show more content…
There were several types of pyramids constructed by the Aztec, they were round pyramids and twin stairs pyramids. The latter being the most well known. An example of the twin stair pyramids it the Templo Mayor, which was located in Tenochtitlan, the capital of the empire. It was the center of the city, it is where the most important activities such as rituals and ceremonies took place for the Aztecs. The pyramid is 15 stories tall, and consists of a two pyramids that rise on a platform that has a base that is 240 feet deep by 300 feet wide. To walk to the top, one would have climbed 117 steps. The two pyramids represent, two mountains one stands for Tonacatepetl for the deity Tlaloc, the god of rain. The other represents the birth place, of the god of war Huitzilopochtli, Hill of Coatapec. On top of the pyramids, stood a temple dedicated to each god individually. Rituals to Tlaloc was important because without rain, famine would occur in the
Architecture is a great tool to define different aspects of a society. It can show how a culture learned to adapt to the environments that they came to inhabit. It can also show the importance of the culture’s religion. Architecture can also define have complex a society was. It can show how different classes of people lived. Aztec major cities were erected on marshy islands. They achieved architectural feats in all areas.
Tenochtitlan
The city of Tenochtitlan was a modern marvel that surprised the Europeans who eventually came to discover the Aztec Empire during their exploration of the Americas. The city was constructed on what was swampy islands to even build on the land they first had to create a way …show more content…
Depending on the environmental conditions three types of terraces were constructed, hillslope contour terraces, semi terraces, and cross channel terraces. The most common being the former, which ran parallel to the slop of the hill. Stones were piled before the wall was filled by digging into the side of the hill causing the terrace to fill (Smith,1996). In some areas water would have been supplied through aqueducts to water the terraces. Raised fields, or chinampas were used and mastered by Aztecs which, can also be considered an architectural and engineering feature. Chinampas were built by draining excess water from swamps creating a somewhat of an island. Mud and other natural items were gathered from the bottom of the lake and piled then secured with wooden stakes that were driven into the the bottom of the lake. Trees were also used to stabilize them. These floating fields were highly productive. While a field can only produce one crop a years, chinampas can produce several.
Pyramids and …show more content…
There were several types of pyramids constructed by the Aztec, they were round pyramids and twin stairs pyramids. The latter being the most well known. An example of the twin stair pyramids it the Templo Mayor, which was located in Tenochtitlan, the capital of the empire. It was the center of the city, it is where the most important activities such as rituals and ceremonies took place for the Aztecs. The pyramid is 15 stories tall, and consists of a two pyramids that rise on a platform that has a base that is 240 feet deep by 300 feet wide. To walk to the top, one would have climbed 117 steps. The two pyramids represent, two mountains one stands for Tonacatepetl for the deity Tlaloc, the god of rain. The other represents the birth place, of the god of war Huitzilopochtli, Hill of Coatapec. On top of the pyramids, stood a temple dedicated to each god individually. Rituals to Tlaloc was important because without rain, famine would occur in the