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{{short description|Structural remains of the Aztec civilization}}
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[[File:StaCeciliaAcatitlan.jpg|right|thumb|Aztec pyramid of [[Santa Cecilia Acatitlan]]]]▼
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[[File:Rekonstruktion Tempelbezirk von Tenochtitlan 2 Templo Mayor 3.jpg|thumb|Reconstruction of the temple precinct of Tenochtitlan; the great temple]]
'''Aztec architecture''' is a late form of [[Mesoamerican architecture]] developed by the [[Aztec]] civilization. Much of what is known about this style of architecture comes from the structures that are still standing. These structures have survived for several centuries because of the strong materials used and the skill of the builders.<ref>Correspondence in Hobart, Okla N. [https://
== Influences ==
Aztec architecture reflects the migration of the Aztec culture across present-day [[Mexico]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Aguilar-Moreno|first=Manuel|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZseasJq3WzEC&dq=aztec+architecture&pg=PR5|title=Handbook to Life in the Aztec World|date=2007|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-533083-0|language=en}}</ref> The style of early Aztec pyramids was influenced by those of Classic and other Postclassic [[Mesoamerican architecture|Mesoamerican]] societies.<ref name=":0" /> Aztec architecture subsequently influenced later Mesoamerican styles.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Rice|first=Don Stephen|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k2uX2NnOH9EC&pg=PA295|title=Latin American Horizons: A Symposium at Dumbarton Oaks, 11th and 12th October 1986|date=1993|publisher=Dumbarton Oaks|isbn=978-0-88402-207-7|language=en}}</ref> As Manuel Aguilar-Moreno writes, "Aztec architecture was heavily influenced by the [[Toltec]] of [[Pueblo|Colhuacan]], the [[Tepanec]] of [[Azcapotzalco]], and the Acolhua of [[Texcoco, State of Mexico|Tetzcoco]]".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Aguilar-Moreno |first1=Manuel |title=Handbook to Life in the Aztec World |date=2007 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-533083-0 |page=217 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZseasJq3WzEC&dq=aztec+architectural+style&pg=PR5 |access-date=7 March 2023}}</ref> It is important to note that since the Aztec Empire was largely built through conquest, the Aztecs had the challenge of incorporating the ethnic groups of the regions they conquered into one unified empire. By having a distinct architectural style, the Aztec Empire was able to promote its worldview and showcase the power of the Empire's military.<ref name="Oxford University Press">{{cite book |last1=Aguilar-Moreno |first1=Manuel |title=Handbook to Life in the Aztec World |date=2007 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-533083-0 |page=218 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZseasJq3WzEC&dq=aztec+architectural+style&pg=PR5 |access-date=7 March 2023}}</ref>
The ancient Aztecs focused on cosmology, astronomy, and religion as their main sources of inspiration. Aztec religious beliefs are reflected in the designs of the religious structures as well as domestic structures.<ref name=":0" /> Research into the significance of building alignment in Aztec culture has shown that the dates of sunrises and sunsets along architectural orientation exhibit a pattern of separated intervals that are largely multiples of 13 and 20 days. This detail suggests to experts that the orientation of these structures was related to the [[Mesoamerican calendars|Mesoamerican calendrical system]]. It has also been discovered that the dates that occur most frequently in these orientations align with important days in the ritual agricultural cycle of the Aztecs.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Šprajc |first1=Ivan |title=Astronomical Alignments at the Templo Mayor of Tenochtitlan, Mexico |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/002182860003102502 |journal=Journal for the History of Astronomy |year=2000 |volume=31 |issue=25 |publisher=Science History Publications, Ltd. |access-date=7 March 2023 |page=1|doi=10.1177/002182860003102502 |s2cid=117355888 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>
== History ==
Some of the most well-known architecture of the Aztec Empire was located in the capital city [[Tenochtitlan]], which was destroyed after the [[Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire|Spanish conquest]] in the 16th century.<ref name=":0" /> Materials taken from the city were then used in the construction of [[Mexico City]].<ref name=":0" /> Because of the construction of Mexico City, not much [[Archaeological record|archaeological evidence]] remains at important Aztec sites such as the Aztec Temple Square.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Association for Computer-Aided Design in Architecture. Conference
Aztec architectural sites include [[Malinalco, Mexico State|Malinalco]], [[Tenayuca]], conquered by the Aztec circa 1434. This site is the earliest known example of the typical Aztec double pyramid -- joined pyramidal bases supporting two temples -- and the [[Templo Mayor]], the biggest building in the Aztec city [[Tenochtitlan]]. ▼
▲Aztec architectural sites include [[Malinalco
== Style ==
Aztec architecture is characterized by symmetry and elements like geometric designs and sweeping lines.<ref name=":0" /> Other key stylistic traits include the use of "bas-reliefs, walls, plazas, and platforms as media to represent their gods and ideals," according to Manuel Aguilar-Moreno.<ref name="Oxford University Press"/>
There are also many symbolic elements inherent in Aztec architecture, including the four cardinal directions, which each represents a deity, color, and symbol.<ref name=":0" /> Animal symbols were also utilized in the architectural style of the Aztecs: eagles represent the sun and warriors, serpents represented water or fire, and conch shells symbolized fertility.<ref>
== Types of structures ==
The structures in the city of Tenochtitlan included temples, palaces, and platforms.<ref name=":1" /> The temples were terraced pyramids with steep stairs leading up to the main temple. Domestic structures reflected the social and financial status of inhabitants.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Olson|first1=Jan Marie|last2=Smith|first2=Michael E.|title=Material Expressions of Wealth and Social Class at Aztec-Period Sites in Morelos, Mexico|date=2016|journal=Ancient Mesoamerica|language=en|volume=27|issue=1|pages=133–147|doi=10.1017/S0956536115000334|issn=0956-5361|doi-access=free}}</ref>
Elites lived in palaces, which were called ''tecpan''s.<ref>{{Cite book
Aztec palaces consisted of three main types: Administrative palaces, mansions of wealthy nobles, and pleasure palaces and retreats. Administrative palaces served as the ___location for local government, as well as the residences of local rulers. The focal point of these structures was a large courtyard near the entrance of the building, surrounded by suites that served various purposes.<ref
Pyramid-temples, or [[teocalli]], were religious buildings whose construction was sponsored by the government to emphasize the religious significance of the area, as well as its imperial might.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Aguilar-Moreno |first1=Manuel |title=Handbook to Life in the Aztec World |date=2007 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-533083-0 |page=220 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZseasJq3WzEC&dq=aztec+architectural+style&pg=PR5 |access-date=7 March 2023}}</ref> According to Gary Feinman, Mesoamerican temples were typically rectangular structures with one entrance, located on one of its long sides. The structure of the temple was generally an elevated or shortened pyramid mound. They often consisted of two or more rooms, with an outer and inner chamber, the inner chamber being seen as more sacred.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Feinman |first1=Gary |editor-first=Michael V. |editor-last=Fox |title=Temple in Society |chapter=Mesoamerican Temples |chapter-url=https://www.academia.edu/455529 |year=1988 |isbn=978-0-931464-38-6 |via=[[Academia.edu]] |pages=67–82}}</ref>
While rectangular pyramids could be dedicated to a wide range of gods, circular pyramids could only be dedicated to one god, [[Ehecatl]], who represented wind in Aztec culture.<ref name="The Oxford Handbook of the Aztecs">{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Michael |title=The Oxford Handbook of the Aztecs |date=2017 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780190634179 |page=210 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0chjDQAAQBAJ&dq=aztec+temples&pg=PA201 |access-date=7 March 2023}}</ref>
Urban designers in the Aztec period were known for placing small altars in significant locations. Some of these altars were believed to be bases for skull racks used to display victims of sacrifice. Others may have been dedicated to female fertility and curing, areas commonly associated with the [[Tzitzimitl|tzitzimitl deities]] in Aztec culture. Still, others may have served as offerings to the god Tezcatlipoca.<ref name="The Oxford Handbook of the Aztecs"/>
Houses were uniform throughout most of the empire, only varying in size and [[Ornament (art)|ornamentation]].
The Aztecs built [[causeway]]s and [[chinampa]]s in Tenochtitlan due to its ___location in the [[Valley of Mexico|Mexico City basin]]. The agricultural innovation of the [[chinampa]] was a completely unique structure that used small squares of fertile ground that floated on the water as one of the first historical examples of irrigation techniques as well.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Herzog|first=Lawrence A.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wbBFO11V0IkC&pg=PR7|title=From Aztec to High Tech: Architecture and Landscape Across the
Additionally, ball courts were a very popular construction of architecture used to play the ancient Mesoamerican ball game. Usually the ball court was constructed in a classic "I" shape that was the standard of the game. These courts were called tlachtli or tlachco, and the game itself went by the name of ullamaliztli. Not only were these courts and the game used for the thrill of sport but also held significant religious value as well. Typically, when Aztecs resided in a new settlement construction of a shrine to Huizilopochtli and a ball court directly next to it was among the first things built.<ref name=":0" />
Due to the fact that the largest major cities such as [[Tenochtitlan]] were built upon small islands with marsh-like terrain, these settlements only had so much clean drinking water. This led to the construction of Aztec aqueducts used to bring drinking water from freshwater sources and springs to the Aztec settlements.<ref name=":0" />
== Building techniques ==
The Aztecs had advanced knowledge of building techniques, and they knew how to adapt their techniques to the local geology and terrain of an area, particularly the soft soil. The builders traditionally constructed stone bases for the temples. J. A. Joyce writes that "[t]he physical geography of Central America was favorable to the rise of the art of building in stone."<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last=Joyce|first=J. A.|date=1911|title=Some Features of Mexican Architecture|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/858506|journal=The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs|volume=19|issue=99|pages=154–163|jstor=858506|issn=0951-0788}}</ref> Some structures, such as the [[Templo Mayor]] of Tenochtitlan were constructed on top of many hundreds of support piles to help stabilize the building in the marshy terrain surrounding Tenochtitlan.<ref>Wedekind, W., Ruedrich, J. & Siegesmund, S. Natural building stones of Mexico–Tenochtitlán: their use, weathering and rock properties at the Templo Mayor, Palace Heras Soto and the Metropolitan Cathedral. Environ Earth Sci 63, 1787–1798 (2011). {{doi|10.1007/s12665-011-1075-z}}</ref>
The Aztecs were also known to use gravity to create a running water system, bringing fresh water to the city grid. They also employed terracing to enhance agricultural productivity.<ref>
Instead of demolishing old temples and building a new one at the same site, the Aztecs sometimes built over the existing structures, which resulted in larger and more detailed pyramids.<ref name=":0" /> Some temples have been found to have at least four or five layers.
== Relationship with Aztec culture ==
The Aztecs designed their buildings to be functional for everyday life as well as having a major importance on buildings for religious practices, and for the gods that they worshiped. The architectural style of the Aztecs reflected relationships with a higher power. In Tenochtitlan, the layout of the city represented the birth of [[Huītzilōpōchtli|Huitzilopochtli
The [[teocalli]], or pyramid-temples, were significant to Aztec religious practices. They were the sites of religious celebrations and rituals.<ref name=":0" /> The temples represented ascension. There were multiple torn levels, which each correlated with different classes. The Aztecs believed that ascension was the process of preparing oneself to please the gods. At the top was the main temple where sacrifices took place, since that was considered to be closest to the gods.{{fact|date=November 2024}}
In Cholula, Puebla a Central Aztec temple was discovered in 1978. This temple was used to worship their sun and war deity Huitzilopochtli, and the deity of fertility, water, and rain,[[Tláloc|Tlaloc]]. The temple contain alters where they would leave offerings, which were mainly animals and hand made sculptures. The temple also contained an alter where they would make sacrifices to the gods. They used red and blue paint to decorate the temple. <ref name=":3">Coe, Michael D. (2019). ''Mexico: From the Olmecs to the Aztecs''. Ancient Peoples and Places Series. Javier Urcid Serrano (8th ed ed.). London: Thames & Hudson, Limited. {{ISBN|978-0-500-29373-7}}.</ref>
Aztec households were simple and uniform to the rest of the civilization. Houses could be one to two stories tall.<ref name=":2" /> ▼
▲Aztec households were simple and uniform to the rest of the civilization. Houses could be one to two stories tall.<ref name=":2" />
There is a large circular building resembling a lecture hall that was believed to be a place were the Aztecs would hold governmental affairs.<ref name=":3" />
=== Separation of classes ===
Aztec culture had class stratification. The highest social rank was that of the priesthood, which permitted access to the temples and more exclusive quarters. Members of the priesthood lived near the temples in the central areas of the city, while people of lower classes lived increasingly further away according to their status. The sizes of domestic structures reflected differences in wealth, power, and status.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Smith|first1=Michael E.|last2=Heath-Smith|first2=Cynthia|last3=Montiel|first3=Lisa|date=1999|title=Excavations of Aztec Urban Houses at Yautepec, Mexico|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/972199|journal=Latin American Antiquity|volume=10|issue=2|pages=133–150|doi=10.2307/972199|jstor=972199|s2cid=163928344 |issn=1045-6635|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Those who were considered in the lower social ranks had homes made up of adobe brick, and varied in size.<ref>Smith, Michael E., and Frances F. Berdan. "Archaeology and the Aztec Empire." ''World Archaeology'' 23, no. 3 (1992): 353-67/ <nowiki>http://ww.jstor.org/stable/124768</nowiki></ref> Those who considered to be higher class had homes made of cut stone, they had more rooms and were larger homes compared to those of a lower class, they also found things of status like jewelry in these homes<ref>Hodge, Mary G. “Archaeological Views of Aztec Culture.” ''Journal of Archaeological Research'' 6, no. 3 (1998): 195–238. <nowiki>http://www.jstor.org/stable/41053158</nowiki>.</ref>
== Aztec architecture today ==
=== Disappearance ===
In modern times there are few ruins of the [[Aztecs|Aztec]] Empire remaining. There are many theories as to why there are so few ruins left of the Aztec empire. One of these theories is that there is just not enough information on how the Aztec empire ran. It could have been more agriculturally based and less building based. The Aztecs could have been focused on farming rather than building durable structures. We just do not know, there have not been enough archaeological digs to know. Another theory is that there is evidence that it was a looser system of tributaries rather than a tightly connected empire. The Aztecs may have been more worried about what they could get. Not bothering to simulate others to their beliefs. <ref>{{Cite journal |last=Smith |first=Michael E. |date=1992 |title=Archaeology and the Aztec Empire |url=http://ww.jstor.org/stable/124768 |journal=World Archaeology |volume=23 |issue=3 |pages=353–67 |jstor=124768}}</ref>
[[File:Metropolitan_Cathedral_&_Sagrario_-_Mexico_2024_(2).jpg|thumb|The Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral]]
Much of the Aztec infrastructure was also destroyed by the Spanish. The [[Conquistador|Spanish Conquistadors]] would establish Mexico City over top of the remains of Tenochtitlan in 1521. They would raze the city to the ground on their way to taking it back. Only small pockets of the city would survive and subsequently be built over. Such as the Spanish building of the first Cathedral in Latin America called the [[Metropolitan Cathedral of Mexico City|Metropolitan Cathedral]]. It now resided above an Aztec Temple called [[Templo Mayor]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Croissant |first=Morgane |date=Jun 1, 2023 |title=The Largest and Oldest Cathedral in Latin America is Built on Top of An Aztec Temple |url=https://matadornetwork.com/read/mexico-city-metropolitan-cathedral/ |website=Matador Network}}</ref>
== References ==
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==Further reading==
* {{cite book |author=Bernal, I |author2=Coe, M |display-authors=etal| title=The Iconography of Middle American sculpture |url=http://cdm16028.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15324coll10/id/201658 | ___location=New York | publisher=The Metropolitan Museum of Art | year=1973}}
== External links ==
{{commons category}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070331122712/http://library.thinkquest.org/10098/aztec.htm Aztec Architecture from the Think Quest Library]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070331125315/http://newton.uor.edu/facultyfolder/rebecca_brown/old/arth100/empire/AIS/aztec/Architecture.htm Aztec Architecture from the University of Redlands]
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[[Category:Architectural styles]]
[[Category:Architecture in Mexico]]
[[Category:Aztec]]
[[Category:Mesoamerican architecture]]
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