Amanda Lane
Chun
Library Research
April 2, 2014
IB Extended Essay: Symbol effects on Mesoamerican Art and Architecture
There has been evidence of over two hundred human sacrifices in just one general area of Mesoamerica. Not just in an area of a city – but a “building”. Many pyramids, temples, and art forms such as sculptures were made and used just for the purpose of sacrifices and blood-letting rituals. Such violent rituals are shown in art and architecture to show the effect of symbols on the humans of Ancient Mesoamerica. The question that will be uncovered is, how far did the Mesoamericans go? To what extend do symbols effect Mesoamerican art and architecture? These effects could of course lead to the stronger subjects, specifically human sacrifices. The extent of symbols on the architecture and art therefore is reflected as the extent it had on ancient Mesoamericans. It will first be evaluated how Architecture is made to reflect their beliefs on the lives of their gods. Second, how architecture and art can depict symbols will be revealed, and lastly it will be discussed how architecture and art shows the effect of symbols on ancient human lives and interactions. Finding these things will answer the research question by revealing how much effort believers would make to please their symbols, how Mesoamericans believe their gods to be, and how far they would go with tradition or rituals.
Architecture, like many things, can also be made for the use of or inspired by the symbols people believe in. Therefore, art and architecture in Ancient Mesoamerica can be stated to be made for the use of religious symbols. Making architecture and art forms takes effort, dedication, and patience. Architecture can take years to make, as was s...
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...d in the way it was.(Exploratorium.edu) Both the stairs representing the number of years on the calendar and the way the pyramid was built axis-wise, The pyramid of Kukulkán can be argued to be a pyramid built out of belief in symbols. As with the pyramid of Kukulkán, many Mayan temples were shown to reflect the belief of nine levels of the underworld.
The Temple of Inscriptions was a temple of nine layers, the skeleton of Hanab Pakal and five sacrifices lying at its base. The Mayan belief in the underworld and its gods was depicted much through the tomb of the ruler. “The nine gods of the underworld were depicted with stucco relief on the walls of Hanab Pakal’s tomb”.(Foster 204) This corresponds to the believed layers of the underworld – also nine. The temple, like others, was built in nine layers, therefore reflecting the layers of the underworld.(Stokstad 402)
The Aztec Calendar stone has become one Mexico’s national symbols. After decades of Latin American Art being degraded, underappreciated, forgotten, and abused, it has become one of Mexico’s most national treasures. After years of research from the Codex Mendoza, the Calendar, and documents by the Spanish conquistadors, it has gradually become clear as to how the Aztecs truly lived and how art played such a huge role in their society. It has not only given researchers insight to the Aztec culture and religion and has also given influence to modern and the mainstream media today such as fashion and graphic design.
A major element of Aztec life was religion, as often is in the case in ancient civilizations. The Aztecs were a polytheistic people, and they often made use of human sacrifice to please their gods. Diaz often makes reference to the blood-stained walls of the Aztec temples in his account of the conquest. In reference to the success of Cortes and his soldiers, an anci...
Umberger, Emily. “Veláquez and Naturalism II: Interpreting “Las Meninas.”” Anthropology and Aesthetics 28 (1995): 94-117. The President and Fellows of Harvard College acting through the Peabody Museum of Archeology and Ethnology. Web. 23 Nov. 2013.
The ancient Mayans were a very well developed society with a very accurate calendar, skilled architects, artisans, extensive traders and hunters. They are known to have developed medicine and astronomy as well. All of this was developed while the Europeans were still in the Dark Ages.
Speak of the pyramids, each society has its own culture. Building great pyramids and temples, both civilizations built them for special uses and for special people. However, the two civilizations used these buildings for different uses. The ancient Egyptians built pyramids as tombs for the pharaohs and queens since they deeply believed in the belief of afterlife. The Mayan pyramids were used for holding sacrificial rituals. Chronologically speaking, the Egyptian pyramids were built 2000 years earlier than the Mayan
The Olmecs are the earliest known Mesoamerican civilization. Around 1200 B.C. the Olmecs originated as a primitive people living and farming on the shores of Mexico (Stanton 91). Soon, however, they began to build cities such as San Lorenzo, La Venta, and Monte Alban. These “cities” were religious centers where people gathered to worship, and were not populated (Stanton 91). The first of these centers, San Lorenzo, was built c. 1150 B.C., on a flat topped, man-made mountain. It was mysteriously abandoned 200 years later (Stanton 92-93). La Venta, built between 1000 and 600 B.C., sat on an island in a swamp (Stanton 93). Later, around 500 B.C., Monte Alban, which was used as a religious center even after the Olmecs faded, was built on an immense mountain (Stanton 93). The cities were made up of temples and plazas, and decorated by monumental stone heads, which weighed up to 50 tons (Stanton 93)! These heads probably represented their early kings and had distinct helmets (Kingfisher 32). It is incredible how the Olmec people transported the stone from the distant mountains to La Venta, near the shore, without the aid of work animals or carts. It appears that the Olmecs did this grueling work for their gods willingly, as there is no evidence of forced labor (Stanton 93). The Olmecs probably worshipped the jaguar, as it appears so often in their artwork. There are also many e...
For example, the Olmec jadeite mask is representative of the Olmec religion, as this differed greatly compared to the Aztecs. The Olmec’s had more statues to represent their religion compared to the Aztecs with a basis of murals which is more present in the Aztec era, as Teotihuacan was incorporated into the Aztecs practises of their own religion. In particular, with the Olmec jadeite mask, it represents the change of beliefs in a matter of centuries, when being compared to the Aztec religion, changing the central belief system of the civilians in Teotihuacan. The comparison between Teotihuacan and the religions that are based within the architectural design of Teotihuacan are crucial in extending our understanding of Teotihuacan through Science mainly, in the research of chronology, we have learnt to be able to distinguish different architectural features with the city of Teotihuacan. This has been important in identifying different features within the city and being able to use different types of archaeology to identify when something in the time period was made. For example, the use of
...ortant calendar of the Mayas. El Castillo has four sides, each side has 91 steps, this is equal to the 365 days of the solar year. It has nine terraces which are divined in two, which makes 18, this symbolizes the number of months in the Maya Calendar.
The E-Group complex emulation is evident in the Maya lowlands. “This architectural formation was invented by the Gulf Coast Olmec and spread to the East.” (Houston and Inomata 84) The layout of the Maya E-Group complex is characterized by its particular arrangement of plazas and platforms, comparable to a site in the Gulf Coast called Chiapas. The presence of the Olmec jade pieces and imitation of the E-Group architectural layout at the same site has comprehensive implications. “The presence of a cruciform cache with greenstone celts in the E-Group plaza suggests that architectural forms did not simply result from casual imitation, but, rather, accompanied ritual practices, and, possibly, religious ideas comparable to those of Chiapas and the Gulf Coast.” (Houston and Inomata 84) Due to the fact that the jade was present in a particular part of the new E-Group layout, it is likely that they embraced Olmec style religious rituals as well as mirroring their architecture. The specific arrangement of the cache strongly suggests shared religious practices, which huge implications for Maya
In the Central America, most notably the Yucatan Peninsula, are the Maya, a group of people whose polytheistic religion and advanced civilization once flourished (Houston, 43). The Maya reached their peak during the Classic Period from around CE 250 to the ninth century CE when the civilization fell and dispersed (Sharer, 1). Although much has been lost, the gods and goddesses and the religious practices of the Classic Maya give insight into their lives and reveal what was important to this society. The major Mayan gods and goddesses all have common characteristics and, according to “features which they share in large part with the gods of neighboring people of Middle America” (Thompson, 198). One of these characteristics is that Mayan gods and goddesses have “features which they share in large part with the gods of neighboring people of Middle America” (Thompson, 198).
It was quite an experience to dive into the cultures of ancient southern and central american societies such as the Maya, Aztec and Inca civilizations. As i traveled through this large exhibit I couldn't help but notice how seriously these civilizations took craftsmanship. I believe it was fully because many of these small items that were featured on display such as ceremonial, stools, masks, vases etc...were extremely detailed and well made. Not to mention that the majority of the sacred/ritual objects were forged of gold and jade; two extremely vital elements to the function of their societies. They believed elements such as these were the waste of the gods but, to them they were perceived as gifts due to their rarity and visual aesthetics. Gold was specifically exclaimed to be from the sun god named Kinich
By studying the cave under the Pyramid of the Sun, Heyden demonstrates how the construction of the cave may have been built and how that cave became the start of Mesoamerica civilization (Heyden. 1975; p. 131). Throughout the reading, “An Interpretation of the Cave Underneath the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan, Mexico”, the author uses mostly anecdotal and as well as empirical evidence to suggest that the cave was a cult center before the Pyramid of the Sun was built. One line of evidence that the cave was a cult center is the construction of the cave. The construction of the cave is described as having long tunnel entrances followed by a series of chambers. Chambers were positioned as described in the reading “the cloverleaf” which consisted of four chambers and different sections of the chambers were closed off. The series of walls suggested that there may have been decorations or paintings put up on those
However, many signs have pointed to it not being the Mayan religion who believes that these skulls had religious powers, but the Aztecs! It has been suggested by many historians, such as Louis Chevalier that the Mayans did not have as fine equipment as the Aztecs, throughout the period in which these skulls were thought to have been invented. Also, the Aztecs were more highly skilled in sculpting with crystals. As many of you will already know, the Aztecs sacrificed many people in their times. One particular skull, the Paris skull, (have a picture of this comes up) has a hole through the top of its head. This may have a connection with the Aztecs believing in sacrificing people to their gods, and treasuring or keeping the more important sacrifices, by keeping their head, and turning it into a beautifully sculptured crystal. So, the Aztecs obviously believed that the skulls held religious beliefs, such as important sacrifices, as they had carved and kept their skulls
Did you know, that there were civilizations in the Mesoamerican region before it was discovered by the Spanish explorers in 1519? There were 3 main civilizations in the region from the times 750 B.C.E. - 1535 C.E.. The Inca (1440 - 1535 C.E.), The Aztec (1345 - 1520 C.E.), and The Maya (750 B.C.E. - 900 C.E.) It is insane to think of the fact that they were able to build temples, pyramids, and other large buildings with no iron tools. In this essay you will learn about how the 3 civilization are similar, different, and how they all had something special about them.
It is believed that the shape of the pyramid was an important religious statement. Some scholars believe that this is true while others still debate the possibilities. We can assume that the Egyptians were trying to symbolize the slanting rays of the sun. It is also believed that the sloping sides on the pyramid were intended to help the soul of the king climb to the sky and join the gods.