Landscape and Architecture in Latin America Midterm Study Notes
Temple of the Moon, Teotihuacan (c. 150-600; Apogee c. 400-550)
Location: Entry point of the site, terminates at the Temple of the Moon along the Way of the Dead.
Symbolism: Represents order and power, crucial to the urban layout.
Architectural Layout:
The cellular structure of smaller buildings branching off the main thoroughfare highlights spatial power dynamics.
The manipulation of fill and void is emphasized in design.
Integration with the Landscape:
Precise organization of sightlines and geometries to create harmony between architecture and the surrounding landscape.
The construction of the pyramid served as a stand-in for the nearby mountain (a dead volcano), channeling the symbolism of power, particularly rain.
Cultural Significance:
A female figure atop the pyramid is aligned with a depression in the mountain, mediating human connection to nature's sacred elements.
Monumental scale conveys collective power.
Temple of the Sun, Teotihuacan (c. 150-600; Apogee c. 400-550)
Location and Orientation: Departs from the Way of the Dead at a 90-degree angle.
Scale: Notably larger than the Temple of the Moon.
Design Elements:
Employs a “tablud-tablero” structure, a characteristic of sacred Teotihuacan architecture.
Features sloping tablud supports and vertical tablero entablature.
Cultural Context:
Other structures nearby resemble apartments, indicating diverse living arrangements.
Evidence suggests the presence of immigrants from Oaxaca living temporarily while contributing to construction efforts.
Urban Dynamics:
Fluctuation of urban areas linked to population flows; as Teotihuacan declined, other Central American cities rose in prominence.
Temple of Quetzalcoatl, Teotihuacan (c. 150-600; Apogee c. 400-550)
Features:
Highly decorated, suggested to be a ruler's palace.
High relief sculptures demonstrate abstract designs, differing from Western traditions that focus on individual power portrayals.
Modern Archaeology:
The understanding of Teotihuacan as an ancient city is a product of archaeological discoveries, mainly progressing since 1971.
Death and Power:
Excavations yielded numerous skeletons, raising questions about societal views on death and power.
Historical interest exemplified by Aztec ruler Moctezuma II, leading to its rediscovery for tourism in the early 20th century.
Sun Gate, Tiwanaku (c. 500-800)
Artistic Representation:
Central figure depicted is a sun god, emitting rays symbolizing authority.
Emphasizes regularity, symmetry, and geometric patterns among surrounding forms.
Cultural Influence:
Represents social hierarchy; figures appear humanoid with wings highlighting a blend with geometric abstraction.
This architectural style later influenced modern art movements, such as Cubism.
Palenque (Mayan), Yucatan (600-800)
Environmental Contrast:
Unlike Central Mexico, Palenque features dense vegetation integrating with archaeological sites.
Archaeology's Dual Role:
Associated with narratives of national identity and commentary on the oppression of the Maya people.
Architectural Styles:
Features picturesque, meandering streets with irregular geometries among the forest.
Showcases corbel vaults, particularly in the Temple of the Inscriptions, which houses the tomb of Pakal.
Decorated sarcophagus illustrates Pakal's descent into the underworld; artistry reflects greater naturalism compared to Teotihuacan.
Uxmal (Mayan), Yucatan (850-950)
Significant Structures:
Pyramid of the Magician, Governor’s Palace, and Nunnery Quadrangle are primary architectural works from the 9th century.
Architectural Configuration:
Quadrangles engage religious temples reflecting deadlines of religious and political life.
Nunnery Quadrangle, Uxmal (850-950)
Design Elements:
Plaza characterized by order and regularity; effectively composed spaces of void and solid.
Notable fretwork reflects geometric abstraction.
Features dramatic relief sculptures and platformed processional stairs supported by boot vaults.
House of the Governor, Uxmal (900-950)
Functionality:
Serves as an administrative center with 24 rooms to store tributes.
Central doorway depicts the Maya ruler, Lord Chahk, indicating authority and connecting with the landscape.
Architecture displays negative batter walls, creating a lighter visual aesthetic.
Amabilis, Mexican Pavilion, Seville, Spain (1929)
Architectural Presentation:
A building presented at a 1929 exhibition in Spain by Amabilis, who wrote on Mayan architecture emphasizing corbel vault rationality.
Cultural Exchange:
Combines geometric lexicon of European Renaissance architecture with Mayan forms, showcasing cultural fusion.
Includes serpent statue entryways and distinctive tiled designs.
Contemporary Houses, Merida, Mexico
Architectural Characteristics:
Thatched roofs resilient against harsh climatic factors (e.g., hurricanes).
Ventilation provided through hammocks, a traditional aspect of local life.
Integration of modern materials reflects traditional aesthetics, juxtaposing cinder block and historical designs.
Alonso García Bravo, Panama (1519)
Initial Mapping:
Early European perspective depicted Tenochtitlan as a Venice-like city, complete with floating agricultural elements along the outskirts.
Urban Planning:
The mapping shows Tenochtitlan’s sophisticated organization and monumentality, particularly before Spanish destruction of its aqueducts.
A critical viewpoint on colonial strategies placing indigenous populations at the city's periphery.
Unidentified Artist, Plan of the Plaza Mayor, Mexico City (1563)
Central Importance:
The Plaza served as the heart of colonial Mexico City, uniting a cathedral, viceregal palace, administrative buildings, and marketplace, embodying the empire's power structure.
Represents Spanish imperial ideology: formulating authority through rational urban design, with centralized power radiating outward from this core.
Expansion of Mexico City (1596)
Colonial Urban Growth:
Checkerboard design reflects intentional colonization strategies, influenced by Renaissance urban planning ideals emphasizing grids and structured layouts.
Law of the Indies (1573)
Regulatory Framework:
Established by the Spanish crown to dictate urban planning in colonies.
Influenced by ancient Roman architectural theory, particularly the writings of Vitruvius regarding site selection, population density, and socio-political structures.
Cathedral of Mexico (Our Lady of the Assumption) (1569-1813)
Construction Timeline:
Initial foundation established in the 16th century; structure underwent continuous renovations, lasting 200–250 years.
Built atop prior Aztec sacred grounds; designed as a single-nave church with side chapels.
Ground Plan Description:
Often described using the ABCBA pattern; choir situated centrally on the ground floor.
Features low relief sculptures of the Virgin Mary and uses Ionic columns as classical influences.
Interior Features:
High density of decorative figures and underlines an energetic outward feeling through domes and lanterns.
Cathedral of Cusco (Our Lady of the Assumption) (1585-1654)
Architectural Origins:
Constructed on the site of an Inca palace between 1559 and 1654; shares similar typology with the Cathedral in Mexico City.
Earthquake Resilience:
Indigenous Inca stone foundations survived the 1650 earthquake; upper European elements faced damage.
Plan Description:
Symmetrical design often summarized as ABCBA; broad façade appears more horizontal than that of Mexico City’s cathedral, with thick walls to counteract seismic activities.
Ornamentation:
Accents on verticality with broken pediments and layered ornaments signify controlled elevation.
Codex Mendoza - Tenochtitlan (1350-1521; c. 16th century)
Structure Overview:
Divided into four quadrants, featuring annual glyphs marking a cyclical calendar.
Cultural Symbolism:
The eagle on cactus offers origin myth imagery, with a focus on power and regeneration—depicted through war symbols and rituals.
Portrays conflicts between Aztecs and enemies emphasizing strength through portrayal and contrapposto which signals European influences post-conquest.
Primeros Memoriales - Tenochtitlan (1350-1521; c. 16th century)
Central Themes:
Templo Mayor bifurcated symbolically correlating Tlaloc and Huitzilopochtli, with ritual significance quantified by the surrounding mountains.
Traditional elements like ball courts continue sacrificial customs suggesting power dynamics.
Cusco, Inca (c. 1438-1533)
Societal Structure:
Concepts of collectivity, reciprocity, transformation, and intrinsic essence over outward appearances define societal principles.
Ceque Lines:
Serve as cosmographic calendars dictated by sacred sites (huacas) within rituals.
Symbolism in Structure:
Ashlar masonry denotes societal organization; site features like Sacsayhuaman blur lines between nature and human design.
Qorikancha (Golden House):
Intersection point of all ceque lines, showcasing trapezoidal windows for stability.
Machu Picchu, Inca (c. 1438-1533)
Environmental Aspects:
Strategically built on a mountain for both defense and isolation, serving as an imperial retreat.
Architectural Elements:
Fine masonry, water fountains indicate wealth, and integrated stone structures symbolize harmony with nature.
Spatial Experience:
Designed for evasion from below, incorporates natural rock formations, exhibiting masonry deviations promoting integration with the earth.
Symbolic Representation:
Formal shapes contrast natural forms suggesting a relationship dynamic with humans and the earth, manifesting corporate environments and control.
Bohio, Caribbean (c. 1500)
Cultural Origins:
Constructed by Arawak and Taino peoples, made from Royal Palm material.
Architectural Adaptation:
Designed to be cool, dry, windproof, easily building up in hurricane-prone areas; thus seen as less permanent than European designs.
Spanish Influence:
Various adaptations reflect changing needs over time, incorporating tiled roofing and porches for improved structural stability.
Alcazar de Colon, Santo Domingo (1510-1514)
Historical Significance:
Marked as the first stone palace constructed by Europeans in the Americas, recognized as the first two-story building in the Caribbean.
Architectural Aspects:
Emphasis on stonework connects with earlier designs yet reflects manufactured uniformity.
Vigas (ceiling beams) representative of room hierarchy.
La Fortaleza, San Juan, Puerto Rico (1532-40)
Functionality:
Transitioned from an old fort to a governor’s residence, showcasing early colonial architecture emphasizing defense.
Despite inadequacy as a fort, the design led to the replication of defensive architecture throughout the region.
Fray Valades, Allegorical Atrium from Rhetorica Christiana (1579)
Architectural Design:
Exemplifies designs prevalent in mission churches, educational purpose depicted visually through sacraments.
Incorporates indigenous builders’ aesthetics alongside European styles.
San Miguel de Huejotzingo, Puebla (1547-71)
Design Overview:
Featured a single-nave church profiled from the atrio, housing four posa chapels.
Notable ornamentation deriving from European influences but executed by indigenous sculptors.
Atrial Cross
Ideological Representation:
Depicts Christ's passion, strategically omitting the full body in recognition of cultural sensitivities regarding sacrificial imagery.
Functions as a visual teaching tool linking indigenous and European symbolism.
Jose de Páez, Destruction of the Mission of San Sabá in Texas (1758-65)
Cultural Context:
Illustrates the role of Christianity among Franciscans in defending frontiers, marking a historical timeline toward missionary efforts.
Reflective Implications:
Represents figures from the Americas and Spain, highlighting emergent criollo identities.
Transfer of the Virgin of Guadalupe to the First Shrine and the First Miracle, Mexico (c. 1653)
Event Representation:
Extensive history paintings frame the sanctuary housing the Virgin’s iconic image, linking indigenous beliefs with Christian narratives.
Performing mock battles illustrate cultural fusion and underscore the Virgin's role in healing and protection.
Finale of the Corpus Christi Procession, Cusco School (1674-80)
Organizational Structure:
Features priests, nobles, and a diverse array of revered religious figures, suggesting a blending of Inca and Spanish values.
The church’s tabernacle signifies central power and authority in sacred proceedings.
Juárez, Virgin of Guadalupe with Apparitions (Mexico, 1656)
Artistic Attributes:
Surrounded by trompe l’oeil frame, this painting symbolizes criollo devotion firmly anchored by religious narratives tied to genuine local experiences.
Juarez’s imagery engages narratives enhancing the Virgin’s authoritative role across social spectrums in New Spain.
Correa and Workshop, Encounter of Cortés and Moctezuma (Mexico, c. 1683)
Art Historical Context:
Biombos reflect elite historical narratives in 17th century New Spain, merging European and human representation techniques.
The meeting is depicted within elaborate, theatrical storytelling emphasizing legitimacy and power.
Four Continents
Allegorical Representation:
Presented as a grand visual synthesis of global identity—depicts America, Europe, Asia, and Africa with identified family groups reaffirming Spain's overarching political stature.
Our Lady of Cerro Rico, Potosí (c. 1740)
Artistic Significance:
Statue paintings recreate miraculous sculptures, merging local geographical references with Christian iconography, showcasing interconnected beliefs.
Highlights the Virgin Mary’s role through merging indigenous deity contexts, like Pachamama, adding layers of cultural symbolism.
From the Albina and the Spaniard Comes the Throw-Back (Mexico, late 18th century)
Composition Theme:
Portrays interracial unions in colonial Mexico within a temporal context of Bourbon Reforms and demographic changes emphasizing colonial attitudes toward race.
Visual culture exposes social hierarchies and drives colonial narratives.
Ribera y Agromanis, Virgin of Guadalupe (1778)
Evolving Narratives:
Confirms the Virgin's territorial significance within Mexico City; symbolizes the power of the criollo community through religion.
Landscape rendering cleverly showcases cultural mingling, employing imagery focused on Juarez’s approach to representation and identity.
San Francisco, Quito (1535-86)
Architectural Overview:
Represents a significant building boom in monastic architecture within viceregal spheres in the late 16th and 17th centuries.
Features typical aspects of colonial building style throughout its expansive community context.
Facade of San Francisco, Quito
Design Goals:
Aims to instill awe through grandeur while safeguarding against indigenous assaults aligned to colonial ideals of dominance.
Displays a thoughtful interaction with classical architectural principles, reflecting manners of the Spanish Renaissance.
Interior of San Francisco (1769)
Characteristic Design:
Previously decorated ceilings signaling Moorish influences, adapted to fit colonial needs.
Dual-role ornamentation parallels strategies within spiritual conversion among indigenous communities.
La Compañia de Jesús, Cusco (1651-68)
Regional Approaches:
Designed experimenting with local stone and architectural styles adapting practices to regional demands, marking a divergence from Spanish methods.
Notable for intricate facade decorations personifying Andean aesthetics merged with European elements.