Vocabulary

- Topography
- Layer
- Puuc
- Corbel arch
- Building Imprint
- Stela
- Cenote
- Cistern
- Enclosed courtyard
- Boot stone

Vocabulary List

List of words to help develop ideas from the Uxmal ruins:

-Hierarchy
-Directionality
-Orientation
-Axis
-Puuc
-Cistern
-Ceremonial Spaces
-Archaeoastronomy
-Topography
-Quadrangle
-Layers
-Proportion
-Symbolism
-Contrast
-Stepped Pyramids
-Roof Combs

Vocab Words

• Dovecote

• Roof Combs

• Mosaic

• Hieroglyphic

• Stelae (Tetun)

• Step Pyramid

• Urbanism

• Cenote

• Quadrangle

• Cistern

Vocabulary

1. Quadrangle- a courtyard surrounded by buildings on all four sides

2. Funerary- relating to a funeral or the commemoration of the dead

3. Karst Topography- landscape shaped by the dissolution of layers of soluble bedrock.

4. Figure Ground- a perceptual effect; key aspects of figure ground assignment, edge definition, and its affect on shape perception; space becomes the figure while figures become part of the ground

5. Corbel- any bracket esp. of brick or stone, usually of slight extent

6. Corbel Arch- a construction like an arch but composed of masonry courses corbeled until the meet

7. Corbel Vault- a structure having the form of a vault but but constructed on the principle of a corbel arch

8. Cistern- waterproof receptacle for holding liquids.

9. Sak Beh- "White Way", connected the cities together

10. Chultunes- underground resevoir used in Puuc Mayan civilizations for catching and storing water.

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

Vocabulary

The following is a compilation of vocabulary found during research and analysis for the Uxmal Ruin project (to be expanded as more terms are identified):

• step pyramid - layers of stone to create pyramids with stair-like edges rather than smooth edges; can have a base of almost any geometric shape
• stele (plural: stelae) - wooden or stone constructions that are taller than they are wide, carved and ornamented with names of ancestors; found in Nunnery Quadrangle
• Puuc style - means "hilly country"; architectural style that features elaborately decorated upper level stonework and basic, flat lower portions; stone mosaics and alternating geometric patterns are common
• corbel arch/corbel vault - construction method used to span a space or void (i.e. entrance); supports a roof's superstructure
• cenote - underground water reservoir; sometimes called cistern