Chapter 7: The Americas/ China and India

 Chapter 7:  The Americas/ China and India

The Americas date back to prehistoric times. This would include Mexico, Guatemala, Peru and the United States, to name a few. The geography consisted of low lands and mountains creating either very humid tropical climate, compared to an extreme climate shift to cold environments. These are where these major civilizations set up. These main areas had no knowledge of Old World Europe, as they were across the ocean. These places, however, had their own varieties of Interior Architecture, underground homes, cliff homes, and homes made of stone, bricks, and reeds. The main people groups in these areas were the Olmecs, The Mayans-Toltecs, the Aztecs, and the Incas. These empires were isolated from the others. They had a deep connection with the metaphysical world with a concept of open space and the relationship it can have to the buildings.

The hierarchy of society arranged peoples to a structured order. This produced people groups such as nobles and commoners, hereditary and leadership within the culture. The many religious  traditions of these people used human sacrifices to show honor to their gods. They perceived the universe as two 4-sided pyramids, one showing the cosmic mountain (representing the heavens, light, and warmth), and one showing the Earth (representing the 9 layers , dampness, and darkness). 

The Olmecs are a popular people group from this time period because they were the first major civilization in Mexico from 1500 - 400 BC. They are remembered for developing hieroglyphic writing, the first calendar in the western hemisphere, the temples they constructed, their luxurious artifacts and realistic artwork, and their famous Mesoamerican ball game. They also had a hierarchical social structure based on the different styles of homes they created for the Elite, opposed to the Commoners. There were highly decorated, elegant homes and then mud homes, made of sticks. Some of the main pieces of art that we attribute to the Olmecs are the face mask made of Jade, vessel made to look like fish, and the Colossal heads made of rock, still around to this day. The Olmec people associated the small ceramic figures and the stone carvings with religious beliefs, believing that people became close to the gods by sacrifices. 

The Mayans flourished for 1,800 years, from 2000 BC - 250 CE, before they were destroyed in the Spanish Conquest. They are known for their castillos, ball courts, and chacmool. 

The Aztecs inhabited Mexico, mostly in what is known as the early city of Teotihuacan (30 mi from modern day Mexico city . Their architecture is based on an axial plan, to accommodate ceremonies and a Place of the Gods. It is also the home of Montezuma,  the street of the Dead, and the Pyramid of the Moon.

The Incas inhabited Peru, near the Pacific coast and mountainous area. The Incan civilization called Cuzco the Capital of their land. They had a variety of climates which forced them to create a variety of different homes and architecture. The structures had lots of trapezoid shaped features, which made them masters of stone cutting.

Machu Picchu

Chinese architecture is very unique for its structured system of construction and the organization they used in their buildings. Their architecture is as old as Chinese civilizations because of the way they were able to withstand time and remain over a thousands of years, across vast amounts of territory. Considered the world’s largest continuous civilization of 4,000 years, China, to this day, has the largest world population.

Their buildings were known as the Pagoda, a method inspired from India, where they made Stupas, a prototype of construction. This technique used a mound of dirt, such as a burial ground, where a more permanent structure is built over the mound. Over time this technique was critiqued for the lack of space provided for the visitors. This is when the Chinese invented Pagoda, a combination of the Stupa and Chinese tower building.

The Great Wall of China is one of the most famous pieces of architecture and construction in the world. Stretching over 13,000 miles long along the Northern border of China, the fortification is built of stone, brick, wood, mud, and earth. 

Traditional Chinese architecture has a craft for timber-framed structures. The interior of these buildings spoke to the culture.. They were used for residential and commercial buildings based on a courtyard orientation and the symmetrical layout it used. Inside, the furniture was light in form, beautiful and stable. The pieces were versatile with much detail. Examples of these are the folding chair, the yoke back chair, beds, and the kang table. They were made from materials such as Hauli wood, lacquer, ceramic, and bamboo. 

The Yoke back chair

The beds

The Kang Table

The Great Stupa of Sanchi

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India Architecture and design- 

Chinese inspired architecture and design

One step further:

The mastermind behind the Great Wall of China was Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China. He united China and began the process of joining the existing walls into one. Though he did not construct it, he created the plan and began what is still intact today. I thought this great structure was amazing for its size and purpose. I think that a nation such as China sets its boundaries with architecture. This shows me and many other people that architecture has more than one purpose. It can be residential, commercial, structural, geographical and more!