Pre-columbian Architecture in Mesoamerica

by Uriarte, Maria Teresa

• ISBN13: 9780789210456
• ISBN10: 0789210452
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-10-26
• Publisher: Abbeville Press

Summary

An authoritative and magnificently illustrated survey of Mesoamerican architecture from pre-Olmec times to the Spanish conquest.Pre-Columbian Architecture in Mesoamerica is destined to become a standard reference for the serious student and an intellectual delight for the interested amateur. This authoritative yet accessible study begins with an overview of the aesthetics, meanings, functions, and techniques of Mesoamerican architecture, and then proceeds to survey the historical development of the builder's art in each of the region's cultural areas. As readers travel from the the Maya heartland of Guatemala and the Yucatan to the Aztec stronghold of the Valley of Mexico, and all the way to the northern hinterlands of Mesoamerica, they will gain an appreciation of both the unity and the diversity of the region's architecture. The concluding chapter is devoted to the descriptions of architecture that have survived in Mayan and Aztec texts; it includes a unique and valuable glossary of the relevant glyphs. The main text is illustrated with color photographs of the spectacular remains of pyramids, palaces, and plazas, while a scholarly appendix presents maps, plans, and drawings of the most important sites and structures.

Author Biography

María Teresa Uriarte is a researcher at the Instituto de Investigaciones Estéticas of the Universidad Autónoma de México.

Table of Contents

Preface

Architecture as Art

Architecture and Its Hidden Messages

The Function and Techniques of Architecture

Pre-Olmec and Olmec Architecture

The Development of Architecture in the Central High Plains

Architecture in the West: Its Originality and Its Integration with the Mesoamerican Panorama

Northern Mexico: Architecture in the Landscape

Central Veracruz

Pre-Hispanic Architecture in the Huastec Region

The Architecture of Oaxaca

Mayan Architecture

Architecture in Mayan and Nahuatl Texts

Technical Illustrations

Notes

Bibliography

Index

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