Spaces designed for the Mayan Ruler

The scepter of God K'awiil was only to be used by the Mayan ruler. Differing spaces can be associated with the client and the scepter.
A public gathering space is created for ceremonial ritual dances. The ruler would be at the highest point overlooking his community. He conjures gods to join in on the festivities. The group of elites surround the open space closest to the dancers, while the common people crowd around the edges. The space is vast and hierarchy is represented through multiple levels of space.
A group space is assigned to the client and his immediate family. The royal family, the priest, and the best artisans would gather to prepare before the ceremonies commence. They would celebrate by feasting in an open, smaller space suitable for several people.
The individual space is designed specifically for the ruler. It is a room composed of multiple small spaces to allow the ruler to prepare for his duties in the upcoming ceremony and speak with the gods. His wardrobe would be assembled and he would dress in one of the spaces, with the scepter awaiting his power to take hold.

The Mayan Priesthood

The priesthood in its entirety was the keeper of knowledge concerning the deities and the cult. They had an extensive education of the calendars, astrology, divination, and prophecy. Because of their ability to interpret the heavens and the calendar, they had control of the populace’s daily activities. They knew when to plant and harvest, when to expect the dry or rainy season, etc. Their understanding of time, seasons, and cycles was immense. This intervention has created spaces for the priests and their daily activities in the Mayan society. The front, open public space and platform is for the Mayan rituals. Priests schedule these rituals and sacrifices according to alignments of the calendars and their history. These ceremonies were public events for the Mayan residents to observe the priesthood presenting but not necessarily participate in. The priests who performed the sacrifices (called “ah nakom”) were on the bottom of the priesthood hierarchy. They led the captive from a chamber below and to the calendar on the platform to do the dirty work. This public space is also where the town priest (called “ah k’in”) would announce their prophecy and instruction to the public. Following the platform around the side, you’re led to the first interior, private space for the priesthood. This room is a place for gathering and meeting. Each priest had his own role, and it’s in this space that they were able to collaborate with one another and their studies. This is where the oracle priest (called “chilan”) would inform the town priest on his predictions, to direct the town priest toward his next public instruction. This is also a place of teaching and learning. The high priest of the region (called “ahua cari mai”) taught the novices how to read and interpret the calendar and how to write in Mayan script. The following room is a place for the priests’ writings. Knowing their history heavily influenced the priests and their prophecy, for the Maya believed if you understand the cycles of the past, you can understand the cycles of today and of tomorrow. The high priests recorded their history in Mayan script for the next generations to study and learn from. This second private space serves as the home for these writings and a space from studying them. When exiting these internal spaces, you’re led to an enclosed corridor that opens up into another open platform in the rear of the intervention. This is a private space for the priests to study the heavens. The Maya are famous for their intensive study of astrology; it is how they developed their accurate, advanced calendars. The priests are able to observe and chart the movement of the planets in their private, rear, exterior space.

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.

Program: Journey through space to life or death

The Mayan Ballcourt marker creates an atmosphere for the elite. It is an atmosphere in where the winners thrive in victory and the losers submit themselves to ritual sacrifice. The client for whom this space is created is a victorious and glorified ball player. He is among the elite but is revered by even the other elite to a state of near godliness.

In preparation for the game of life or death, he passes through a series of spaces that not only create an environment that aids in his preparation, but also that preserve the stateliness of his being. He is a part of society, but only in physical being and never truly can be an average citizen.

The first place that the player inhabits is an intimate space where he prepares to take on his opponent. It is also a place where he contemplates the possibility of losing and self sacrifice. Being the glorified ball player, he also has a responsibility to his teammates to keep up their morale and inspire them with his experience and confidence. It is a small space in which he feels the presence of himself and the task that lies ahead. The next place that the ball player occupies is a place for he and his teammates. He meets with his team in preparation for the game and to discuss tactics and perhaps 'pray' to the gods to grant them the ability to perform. While this meeting place exists as a gathering space, it remains an intimate place of bonding among teammates and anxiety over what is to come before exiting out into the main arena where the struggle and the expecting crowd awaits him. When he exits the gathering space and enters the arena where he is immediately under the pressure of the game. It is where the winner is decided and the loser is sacrificed. This is a public space where the people can view the game from their seats and cheer them on. The ballcourt marker divides this space in half, yet also acts as a seam that joins winner and loser in an ongoing struggle to the death.

Programs and Space Adjacencies

The Mayan weapons contain very symbolic meanings, including a well-define shape and form to serve its functions. This particular carved stone weapon passed through three process and related to three different group of people. First was the craftsman and the maker of this particular weapon. The artifacts reveal that the craftsman must studied and had a clear understanding of the religion, since these weapons are not only for the military but also held many symbolism for ceremony purposes.

The main purpose for the carved stone weapons were still mainly for the warriors who protected the elites and Uxmal. These weapons were intended for protecting their fundamental ground, bring their beliefs to battles, and protect the important their sovereign.

Program: Activating Artifact with Client

Two kinds of clients engage in the situations that surround the use of the drum. One is the actual musician, who creates the beat physically with the drum, and the other is the deceased client, in which is believed to make use of the drum symbolically.

The burial ceremony is the event that harnesses the majority of individuals, taking place in a space that can serve the public. Attendees include musicians, dancers, other elites, family and friends of the deceased, and other villagers. The beat of the drum contributes to the sound of the celebration. The ceremony then transitions into the burial of the dead one. Those who gather for this task are present within the actual burial chamber, situated below the open gathering space. Family and close friends are present here, along with a priest and possibly the king/elites depending on who has died. The drum is left inside the chamber, stored with the spiritual intent of helping the dead one walk the right path in the afterlife. The chamber is then sealed and only the imagined space of the spiritual inhabiter is left in the minds of those who continue the journey of physical life.

Client and Program: Crafting an Artifact

Mayan Royals, or ahaws, spent many years planning and preparing their own extravagant burials. A temple worshipping the deceased Royal was traditionally constructed directly atop the burial chamber. Submerged into the earth, burial chambers housed artifacts including ceramic pottery and ceremonial instruments. Perhaps the most carefully crafted of these artifacts is the jade mask adorning and overlaying the Royal face.
Intricate details on Mayan jade burial masks were created over hundreds of laborious hours. A talented craftsman carefully constructed this artificial skin imported from Mayan lowlands. Oftentimes, Mayan highlanders negotiated trades using jaguar pelts, tropical bird feathers, oils, drugs, spices, and cacao.

Thus, the client is conceivably the most crucial participant of this process: the craftsman. Across vast spatial expanses and through careful negotiation, the craftsman obtains jade. This jade is brought into a moderately-sized workspace; secluded, the individual craftsman constructs the mask. Following a Royal's death, the craftsman sees his creation to it's final destination: the claustrophobic burial chamber space.

Initially, the craftsman must interact with innumerous other Mexican inhabitants--travelers, neighboring villagers and merchants. He travels, talks, interacts, barters, travels... He returns to solitude, creating. Eventually his talent so highly valued by the ordinary Mayan manifests itself fully in a creation: the mask. He joins priests and Royal family members in a cramped space plunged into the earth. All are beholding objects of their affection for the last time before the space is sealed: the king and the mask.

Relationships Between Public, Group, and Solitary Spaces

The location of the public space is focused on the edge where the two main vertical and horizontal spatial grounds intersect. This intersection is located at the southeast corner of the nunnery quadrangle. It is at this corner that the main public gathering space is located. From the public space there is a transition into the smaller group space. Because the location of the group space is in a tomb, I envision that the space would be transitioned by a a set of stairs and a small threshold into a smaller scale enclosed space. The occupants (spiritual and earthly) of the burial tomb are all of different status in society. This would be represented spatially by separating the group space into different layers to represent the hierarchy between the spirits, king, and other occupants. To represent the transition from the burial ceremony to the solitary space signifying the spirit's journey, the path would first travel downward into a small enclosed space. This signifies the tribulations that the spirit must endure to reach the afterlife. The path would then continue upward to represent the end of the journey when the spirit finally reaches the afterlife. Within this small space the occupant would feel enveloped by the space similar to how a mask would envelop the spirit on its journey.

Spatial Situations Surrounding the Burial of a Mayan King

The artifact that I have chosen is a jade burial mask that adorned the face of a deceased Mayan ruler. Several different spatial situations can surround this mask in various different scales. All of these scales can be compiled into the funeral procession of the king; from the public space of the courtyards and pathways of the Mayan city to the more private space of the burial tomb in which the king would lay.

Client: The Ancient Mayan King of Uxmal

Spatial Situations:

-Public: The largest of all the situations is that of the actual funeral procession. In ancient Mayan times the death of ruler was mourned by all inhabitants of the city. The funeral procession would take place throughout the various pathways of the site but would focus mainly on the group space the lies along the intersection of the main vertical and horizontal axis. The procession would finally come to stop at the location of the burial site (tomb) at the intersection point of the main axis. The occupants of the public space would be the inhabitants of the city, specifically focusing on the upper class and members of the royal family. A trail of mourners would follow the procession while bystanders light candles in honor of the deceased king.

-Group: Following the funeral procession the deceased king is taken down into the actual burial chamber. The space in the actual chamber is significantly smaller than that of the public space and therefor will only hold a select group of people. The occupants of the chamber include the deceased king (obviously) and multiple spiritual beings as well as earthly beings. The king is placed in a kneeling position beside a spirit. The kings arms are crossed which to show penance. While the spiritual beings may not take up physical space, they are still a pivotal part of the burial ceremony. The purpose in the presence of the spirits is to cure the king of his final affliction which is death. The main focus of the ceremony is making sure that the king's spirit travels safely to the afterlife. The main occupants of the burial chamber at this point are the presiding king and his queen. They are responsible for the well-being of the deceased king in the afterlife. The Scribe King is the presiding figure over the ceremony. He holds a red shell that contains a small piece of jade together they represent new life emerging from the underworld. The Scribe King in this case represents what could most closely be compared to the high priest. the person responsible for conjuring up the spirits is singer, who is usually female. Accompanying the singer is her assistant ( a dwarf) who holds a conch shell and is responsible for helping her summon the spirits. The final members of the funeral party are two more dwarfs dressed as boxers who are prepared for to fight as a part of the funeral. The jade burial mask is placed on the face of the deceased king at the end of the ceremony to protect him on his journey to the next life.

-Solitary: The solitary space can be represented in two different aspects. The space can be represented by the very small space that exists between the face of the king and the mask itself. This mask is created when the king is younger and is used throughout his rule in various different ceremonies. The mask however is never adorned on the face until the time of the burial; it is always worn tied upside down around the neck. The other way that the solitary space can be represented is through the solitary journey that the spirit takes to reach the afterlife This journey is filled with many tribulations including dangerous encounters with malevolent gods of death and disease. This is why it is important for the spirit to protect itself with the jade burial mask. Finally these gods are defeated by Hunaphu and Xbalanque, the twins who resurrect their father, the Maize god. The king's final destination is realized after he finally reaches the afterlife.

Program: Itinerary Across an Ancient Landscape

In order to adapt the site of Uxmal and break it down in a manner that can be easily interpreted by a client or observer, there must be a specific context. Uxmal is a large site in the Yucatan Peninsula that used to be occupied by an ancient Maya civilization. Over the years, several factors have diminished the integrity of the site’s architecture. Natural weather conditions, war and man-made fires, and time have deteriorated Uxmal to a certain extent, but the construction of the architecture has lasted significantly throughout the ages, and that lends a lot of credibility to the Puuc style architecture that was utilized during the site’s construction.
One of the aspects of the area that has remained intact is the strong itinerary throughout the site. There is a low wall surrounding the site with a few thresholds which guides an occupant around the entire site and into it; from here, the occupant believes they are deciding their path on their own, when in reality the placement of certain buildings directs the occupant in certain directions. Yes, there are options for each person making their way through Uxmal (especially today, when they are just observing), but it is the juxtaposition of buildings creates intersecting pathways that almost forces people to move in a certain direction. From movement inside the site around buildings we transition to movement between specific buildings and the creation of thresholds as a result of space created by the edges between the two buildings.
One such area in particular is the space between the governor’s palace and the large group of buildings in the southern area of the site (south group). The large space between these buildings leads an occupant to explore the south group in its entirety as well as the governor’s palace. Both of these constructions expose the Puuc architecture style to the observer, and they are then clued into another aspect of the Maya civilization when they finally enter the different constructions. This is where the transition from large group to small group to individual spaces is made. The observer can pass a series of thresholds (the edge between two buildings, the entrance to a building, the doorway to a room) in order to digress into these spaces. This movement can be made in respect to specific aspects of Maya civilization – the Maya calendar can be used to show relative scale between these spaces because the size of this artifact (which represents a large part of Maya culture) can be related to the client, the space the client occupies, and then the greater context of the site of Uxmal which contains the specific construction that the client occupies.
This relationship between scales is important as it connects the occupant to the past civilization through the cultural ties of the artifact and constructions as well as from construction to construction. The artifact is the link that solidifies the connection between past, present, and future occupants within the Uxmal site.