Final: Integration of Construction and Topographical Influence: Spatial Development Through Narrative and Edge

Final Layout:

Final: Integration of Construction and Topographical Influence: Spatial Development Through Narrative and Edge

Final Images:

Toltec Captive Narrative (Part 2)

The slowly rising hills support a constructed system that influences and forms to the conditions. As the Mayans constructed their own landscapes, mountainous structures rise along that skyline, while platforms elevate articulated constructions. Valleys and plateaus are utilized to their potential for living and structure organization. The system of constructions and voids insinuate functionality and detail describes the culture of inhabitants.
The insight provided from detail is potent with ideas needed to construct a society. Preserved in a presumed sacrificial well, a fabric remnant was discovered. Due to the fragile nature of such a material, it is very rare to find such an artifact. It is a cotton piece, woven, brocaded, dyed. It is an irregular piece, frayed. However the brocaded pattern is still dense with fibers. The pattern illustrates a fraction of the pattern that originally existed across the whole clothing piece at one time.
The fabric piece will complete a larger garment. It will wrap itself gracefully and structurally around the client. My client is a Toltec warrior captured by the Uxmal military. The garment that my fabric remnant came from was given to the Toltec in preparation for the sacrifice. The Toltec is kept in a holding chamber at first. Here he reflects his last moments in this world. The fabric he wears was the last experience he had with Earth. When the hour came for the sacrifice the captive would be lead out of the cell and into a larger room where the king and five high priests of the priest counsel would pray that the sacrifice be accepted by the god Chac for rain to bring a bountiful harvest in the recent famine. In procession the Toltec is escorted by warriors as the priests follow. The group follows along the edge of the Great Platform and down into the central valley where the sacrificial well awaits the Toltec and the elite and citizens alike come to view the hopeful change of their fortune.

Artifact: Fabric Remnant

The slowly rising hills support a constructed system that influences and forms to the conditions. As the Mayans constructed their own landscapes, mountainous structures rise along that skyline, while platforms elevate articulated constructions. Valleys and plateaus are utilized to their potential for living and structure organization. The system of constructions and voids insinuate functionality and detail describes the culture of inhabitants.
The insight provided from detail is potent with ideas needed to construct a society. Preserved in a presumed sacrificial well, a fabric remnant was discovered. Due to the fragile nature of such a material, it is very rare to find such an artifact. It is a cotton piece, woven, brocaded, dyed. It is an irregular piece, frayed. However the brocaded pattern is still dense with fibers. The pattern illustrates a fraction of the pattern that originally existed across the whole clothing piece at one time.
The fabric piece will complete a larger garment. It will wrap itself gracefully and structurally around the client. Due to its location when found, the artifact must have belonged to a woman sacrificed and left in the well. The client was wearing the garment as a part of the last experience of life on Earth. It was a nicer garment of a lower woman in society. As the sacrifice, the woman chose to represent herself properly in this garment. The sacrifice would either, grant clemency or continue to rule the world in the minds of the Mayans. This garment was properly adorned by this woman in her time of accepting death as the sacrifice.
The construction would provide a confined reflection area, proper for self realization and concentration. Peripherally, a meeting area for a small groups will provide gathering space in support of the counsels’’ decision.

Artifact: Fabric - Just Blogging Thoughts

Many artifacts are made from natural materials. The fabric is made of cotton. It was found preserved in a sacrificial well in Chichen Itza. It is woven together. The spaces between the threads are large, due to it being worn and old or maybe it is a very small piece and the camera is zoomed in very close. Edges are frayed in an irregular pattern; however it is less frayed when the darker sections meet the edge. The pattern is just a fragment. You never see a portion of the whole pattern. You can tell from the piece that the pattern is regular and repeating. It reminds me of a tortoise shell. The gaps between the threads are not visible in the darker areas that form the pattern. Did the weaver use more threads in these areas to create the pattern? Is the pattern brocaded on and thus as time progressed it did not deteriorate as much or deterioration is less visible due to the density of threads. The caption from the book I got this artifact from states that the fabric was dyed. Was the pattern dyed? Was the base fabric woven, and then dyed, the pattern sown or woven in? Was the base fabric woven, pattern included, and then was the whole thing dyed? This remnant could be a fragment of a large garment with this pattern totally saturating the entire thing. It could also have been just a small detailed piece of a larger plain garment.

Topographical Integration with Construction (Part 2)

This diagram analyzes the highly constructed and articulated edge of the Governor's Palace and the Great Platform. The integration of constructed edge and natural topography is studied via the valley that extends past the Great Platform and then slowly rises into the Nunnery Quadrangle.

Topographical Integration with Contruction

This diagram analyzes the highly constructed and articulated edge of the Governors Palace and the great platform. The integration of constructed edge and natural topography is studied via the valley that extends past the Great Platform and then slowly rises into the Nunnery Quadrangle.

Topographical Influence on Constructed Systems

This map is an analysis of the topographical influence that produced the constructed systems of Uxmal. The main constructions are witnesses to this influence. One can observe the ruins meeting the topography through the intersected sections. The diagram of the Pyramid of the Magician contains tonal relationships to the topography based on height. Also, the transference theory provides that many Mayan civilizations constructed pyramids to represent mountains. This shows the strong connection they shared with the topography and landscape. The citizens of Uxmal also needed to embrace the topography to utilize a water collection system. The cistern system showed their dependence on natural resources which then is reflected back onto their constructions in the form of ornamentation.

Artifact: Textile/Fabric Remnant

This is a fabric fragment found at Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico. It was dated to the late classic or early post-classic period: 600-1200A.D. It is dyed cotton.

Textiles and fabrics can represent a culture in various ways as architecture does. Fabrics are manipulated in an structural and artistic way at a human scale. They can express culture, an era, and purpose/function.

Artifact picture and information from: MAYA Divine Kings of the Rainforest

Maya Research Vocab

• Plaza
• corbel vault
• cross corbel
• parallel corbel
• mass vs. void
• steps(vertical) vs. pathways (horizontal)
• perishable vs. permanent
• Golden section/rectangle
• microcosm
• quadrangles
• repousse technique

Theory: Layering

In Maya architecture, building structures and then rebuilding over these sites is a common practice. However, specifically at Uxmal this reconstruction is perfectly visible and understandable on the Pyramid of the Magician. This monumental structure is a result of five super imposed temples starting with Temple I in the 6th century and finishing with the construction of Temple V through the 10th century. This construction expands the man-made mountain, showing how the former structures informed and shaped the design of the expansion temples.

The Uxmal site was chosen because of the visible nature of how Mayans built temple upon temple in the case of the Pyramid of the Magician.

Theory: Topography

Being apart of the Puuc region, Uxmal is in a hilly area. Therefore the buildings in Uxmal had to address the terrain in construction and design. Uxmal uses the natural lift of the topography to raise the structures to greater heights. The Uxmal ruin is 150 acres with residential areas beyond that. The site is a grassy savanna surrounded by forest. From the images above one can see how the Uxmal responds to the topography.

Bender chose Uxmal due to the terrain and how the structures must then address the topography.

Theory: Geographical Placement

The topic of ancient ruins brings to mind the images of buildings extremely decayed. However, Uxmal still remains greatly intact. This could be due to the location of Uxmal. It is relatively remote and not within close proximity to any water sources. As colonization began after the Spanish empire discovered the New World, colonists would extract stones and rubble from abandoned Mayan sites to build the new towns. Also looters went to raid the ruins for valuable items left behind. Due to Uxmal being off the beaten track may be why evidence of this trespassing is not often seen.

Therefore, Uxmal was chosen by Bender because the ruins are more intact than other due to its remote location, less stones were taken and less looting took place. Uxmal architecture can be more closely examined for its structural and occupational properties since its intergrity is generally maintained.

Theory: Uxmal by Example

Uxmal is an example of a greater style of architecture. This is Puuc architecture. Puuc meaning "hilly country", which describes the terrain in this area of the Yucatan where Uxmal is located. The predominant features of this style are buildings decorated with a carefully cut veneer set into a concrete core. Thus there are plain lower sections and richly decorated upper sections. Seen in the picture to the left. Another feature of Puuc architecture is that its carvings were most frequented by the images of serpents, lattice work, masks, and the god of rain: Chac. The use of the concrete core was considered an architecturally advanced technique passing the earlier techniques of using larger stones with a mud mortar. The new concrete style allowed for slightly larger and more stable interior spaces. Maya architecture is known for its dedication to the large mass verses interior/exterior void. The Puuc architectural style allowed them to further develop this relationship. Uxmal contains these key characteristics. The smaller towns surrounding Uxmal hold true to this architectural form as well.

For these reasons Bender chose Uxmal since its structures are strong examples of Puuc architecture, which also facilitates easy identification of the structures and their components.