ARC 2031 The Americas &

Africa

Your region: Meso-America

The geography of Meso-American area is diverse, it has humid tropical areas, dry
deserts, high mountainous terrain, and low coastal plains. Area covers
modern Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa
Ecological considerations (physical Rica and surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico on the north, Pacific Ocean on the
surroundings, weather/climate, etc.) south and Caribbean Sea on the east. Overall climate is tropical, some areas are
very hot, humid. Area splits between lowland (coastline) and highland
(mountains). There are several volcanos located in Meso-American region (most
likely was a main cause for tribe relocations).
A primary building material was tezontle, a light volcanic rock, as well as
limestone as a structure material and their mortar to make something similar to
cement and stucco. Monumental structures were build
with a rough stone and covered with stucco or cantera
veneer. Talud-tablero style was used in most of Meso-
American stepped pyramids, which consists of a platform
Primary building materials & methods
structure (tablero) with a sloped talud on top. Meso-
(what do they build with, and how do
Americans also build palaces by using post-and-beam
they fit that stuff together?)
method, sometimes with corbel arch.
In cities with high population, people often lived in a
multi-family apartments or rectangular compounds. In the countryside, people
resided in clusters of houses. A common rural house typically had a stone
foundation with a wooden framing, adobe and thatch. Overall structures had to
be very sturdy to survive tropical storm conditions.
Meso-American society’s primary concentration was religion. The primary
building type - large scale pyramids were dedicated to worship and sacrifice.
Family was an important part for Meso-American cultures, usually lived together
and clustered with extended families as well in the same location. Family usually
had a piece of land where they would build their own homes, grow food and
hunt.
Patterns of social life (esp. as related to In cities with high population, people often lived in a multi-family apartments or
civic/public and residential/private rectangular compounds. In the countryside, people resided in clusters of houses.
buildings—consider politics, religion, Meso-American cultures used stepped pyramids for multiple purposes, such as
family structure) religious rituals, astronomical observatories, ritual worship, and sacrifice.
Olmecs, Maya and other cultures were able to establish a hierarchical society
with rulers and create an empire of city-states.
Hierarchy was strictly stratified with farmers at the base and merchants, warriors,
priest class above, and civil ruler and a priest on the top.
Ball courts (ex. Maya culture) were site for a brutal sport game and a place of
confrontation and communication for society.
Meso-American sculptures was quite realistic or stylized, representing human
and animal, as well as hybrid creatures. Olmecs created an artistic style that was
repeatedly used throughout the region and united an ethnic group. They were
well known for a bodyless stone heads with ceremonial headdress, a colossal
Art traditions (what “unnecessary”
head, carved from a six to eight foot tall basalt blocks. Stele was a main form of
ornament is important?)
Meso-American sculpture, which is a stone slab curved in a relief, usually showing
deeds of deities, commonly used in plazas. Also, Meso-Americans decorated
stepped pyramids with hieroglyphs on the rises, steps and walls, which usually
reflected myth creation, rituals and sacrifice.
 Planning in Meso-American region had
sequential organization of the space with
axis orientation. The oldest known
earthen pyramid in Mexico is located in
Planning (layout of floorplans, villages, La Venta, Tabasco (Olmecs), which serves
civic centers, etc.) as a final point of an axis with a stepped
pyramid on the opposite end, surrounded by a ceremonial plaza. These
composition elements were repeated throughout Meso-American region.
Teotihuacan centralized government (one ruler or few) was “masters of city
planning”.

What would you name as the primary building typology for your region and its primary culture (as pertains to ARC 2031)?
[BUILDING TYPE]

Pyramids are the primary building type in Meso-America. This structures usually were stepped pyramids with a temple on the
top, which was repeatedly used in the Meso-America region. They were used for multiple purposes, such as religious rituals,
astronomical observatories, ritual worship, and sacrifice. Although, the main purpose of the pyramids were religious rituals
and worship.

What cultural values are associated with this typology? [THEORY, PATRONAGE]

Meso-American pyramids were large-scale monuments with a temple on the top, representing a high importance and
hierarchy of the society, as well as supremacy of the gods. Religion and worship of gods was primary focus of Meso-American
cultures.

How did its form come to be? [TECHNOLOGY, DESIGN, CONTEXT]

The form of the pyramids in Meso-American cultures were copies of the mountains, they imitated the nature in the region and
laid a sacred meaning into it. The geography of Meso-America varies and contains two regions, lowland (coastline) and
highland (mountains).
Main materials that were used in construction of the pyramids were tezontle (a light volcanic rock), limestone as well as a
limestone mortar (cement). Meso-American cultures used a technique called talud and tablero for the construction of the
pyramids, it was repeated in many variations throughout the region. In some areas, pyramids were decorated with
hieroglyphs on the rises, steps and walls, which usually reflected myth creation, rituals and sacrifice.