Theory: Exterior Space as a Figure Ground

The buildings at the site of Uxmal react so much with the actual topography that they almost become a part of the ground itself. This creates the sensation of a figure ground, or a different perception of space, where the spaces in between the buildings inform the path of the inhabitant. The particular figure ground of Uxmal has a main vertical axis that is fourteen degrees off north. The vertical axis is accompanied by a somewhat horizontal axis that separates the site into four main quadrants.