AZTEC ARCHITECTURE: ORIGIN, CHARACTERISTICS AND WORKS - HISTORY - 2025

The Aztec architecture is one of the most important art forms of Mesoamerican civilization, along with sculpture, painting, jewelry, music and art with feathers. It is characterized by its monumental character and greatness, and for serving for the veneration of its gods.

Architecture and all Aztec art were developed based on the interests of the State, since it served as a language to transmit their particular vision of the world within society and in front of other cultures. Like all Mexica art, architecture served a political-religious function.

Mexico-Tenochtitlan

Through architecture the Aztecs wanted to demonstrate the power of their empire. This explains why they built such monumental buildings as the Templo Mayor, the pyramid of Tenayuca or the round pyramids. Through these constructions the magnificence and identity of the Aztec society was reinforced.

Its main constructions were temples, pyramids, palaces and other administrative buildings. The temples were built on top of the pyramids and were built of stone and earth.

These small ceremonial enclosures adorned with imposing sculptures of monsters and fine reliefs, were accessed through stairways.

Origin

Of Aztec art, architecture was one of the modalities that suffered the most from the effects of the Spanish conquest and colonization, since most of its buildings were reduced to ruins.

Few structures are left standing to study in depth the organization of space and other architectural features in ceremonial centers and other buildings.

This prevents having a deeper knowledge about the origin and the influences received from their ancestors and from other cultures of the Mesoamerican postclassic period. These influences include the Olmec civilization and the Mayan, Toltec and Zapotec cultures, which contributed to the development of their own architectural style.

It is inferred that, as happened with other expressions of Aztec art such as sculpture or goldsmithing, Aztec architecture is the result of the fusion of different styles of construction that evolved in Mesoamerica over almost two millennia.

Mexico - Tenochtitlan

Model of Tenochtitlan

Tenochtitlan, founded in 1325, was the sacred city of this developed civilization, showing the greatness and magnificence of Aztec architecture. This imposing city, recognized as one of the best planned cities of all the ancient civilizations of America, was built on the island of Tenoch located on Lake Tezcoco.

Originally, Tenochtitlán, which means "place where cacti grow on rocks," was a village where only small cane huts existed. Then the first great pyramid, the Templo Mayor, was built in honor of Huitzilopochtli, the god of the sun and war.

Before the Templo Mayor, however, the Aztecs built a temporary shrine of wood and straw, mainly due to the lack of stones. When they finally managed to obtain the necessary building materials, they began the construction of a ceremonial center more worthy of their god.

characteristics

- One of the characteristics of Aztec architecture is its marked sense of order and symmetry, very similar to that observed in other Mesoamerican cultures.

- Mexica architecture is less elegant than Mayan architecture.

- Both the broad lines and the geometric designs are symbolic expressions of the power of the State and the religious character of its architecture.

- Mexican architecture used the bas-reliefs in various places: squares, walls and platforms, as a complement of communication of its ideals and religious representation.

- The most representative Aztec architectural models are temples (Teocali), pyramids, palaces, among other public buildings.

- One of the most frequent models of architecture is the pyramid with a circular plan. This type of construction is attributed to temples in honor of the god Ehécatl, the deity of the wind, who has the appearance of a whirlpool. For example, Calixtlahuaca and the one located in the Pino Suárez metro station in Mexico City.

- Another type of architecture was the platforms decorated with skulls, which served as the base of the tzompantli, an altar widely used by Mesoamerican cultures. An example of this type of altar is still preserved in the National Museum of Anthropology of Mexico.

Representative works

The Greater Temple

Source: Pixabay.com

Also known as the Great Temple of Mexico, it was made up of several buildings and towers along with the Templo Mayor Enclosure where the most important religious, political and economic events of Tenochtitlan took place.

This place fulfilled several symbolic - religious functions, as it served to make sacred offerings but also to make funeral deposits. It was a shrine dedicated to the veneration of the Aztec deities of rain and war, which symbolized the power of the imperial Mexica state against its enemies.

The temples with twin stairways arranged as a crown on the pyramidal base, symbolize the dichotomy of the cosmological vision of the Aztecs: sky - earth, rain - drought, winter solstice - summer solstice. The architectural style of this temple corresponds to the late post-classical period.

In this place the Aztec gods were worshiped: Tlaltecuhtli, Tláloc, Coatlicue, Coyolxauhqui and Cihuacóatl.

The Great Pyramid of Cholula

The Tlachihualtépetl pyramid, which by its name in the Nahuatl language means "hill made by hand", is the largest pyramidal structure in the world in terms of volume with 4,500,000 m³. On one side it measures 400 meters and from the front it is 65 m high, like the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan (64 m).

It is located in the archaeological zone of Cholula, state of Puebla. Its particular characteristic is that it is hidden under a mountain on which a church was built.

It is not known exactly when its construction began, but it is believed that it was in the year 300 BC and 500 or 1000 years later it was finished by the Mexica.

Tenayuca pyramid

It is considered one of the most representative works of the architecture of the Mexica, whose construction apparently lasted from 1300 to 1500. The pyramid was built in stages during which it was expanded.

The first two phases belong to the Chichimec culture and the next six correspond to the Aztec architecture itself.

The round pyramids

These structures were built mainly in Calixtlahuaca, Toluca, in honor of the god of the wind, Ehecatl. Its circular shape was precisely intended to facilitate that the wind could circulate through them without hindering their entry, according to the belief of the Mexica and other pre-Columbian cultures.

Thanks to the god of the wind (Ehecatl) who blew through the four cardinal points, Tlaloc sent rain to fertilize the rich Aztec lands.

Themes of interest

Aztec religion.

Aztec calendar.

List of Aztec gods.

Aztec literature.

Aztec sculpture.

Aztec art.

Aztec economy.

References

1. Aztec Architecture: Characteristics, Materials and Symbols. Consulted of cultura-azteca.com
2. Guachimontones. The circular pyramids of Teuchitlán. Consulted of guachimontonesoficial.com
3. Tenayuca pyramid. Consulted of arte.laguia2000.com
4. The pyramids in Aztec architecture. Consulted of arkiplus.com
5. Main temple. Consulted of es.wikipedia.org
6. Aztec architecture. Consulted of arkiplus.com
7. Aztec art. Consulted of typesdearte.com