Mayan Architecture: Tulum
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Mayan Architecture &
The City of Tulum
Outline
Intro
The Mayan Civilization
Mayan Time Periods
Mayan Territory
Mayan Accomplishments
Mayan Collapse
Mayan Architecture
Intro
Tulum (Case Study)
Tulums History
Tulums Influences and Styles
Tulums Design
Economy
Social Class Orientation
Defenses
Buildings
El Castillo
Temple of Frescos
Temple of the Wind
Temple of the Descending God
Temple of the Initial Series
House of the Haiach Uinic
Conclusion
In world history, the Ancient Mayan Civilization was dubbed the “Greeks of the New World.” Through years of archaeological research, scientists have found that the ancient Mayans were a very advanced and very large civilization.
The Mayan Civilization
The entire Mayan Civilization lasted about 3000 years, but the peak of the Mayans was between AD 300 and AD 900. In the Mayans history there were five main periods of “Mayan Civilization” according to Caren Caraway: the Pre-Classic Period (1500 BC Ð- AD 200), the Early Classic Period (AD 200 Ð- AD 625), the Fluorescence Period (AD 625 Ð- AD 800), the Late Classic (AD 800 Ð- AD 925), and finally the Post-Classic Period (AD 925 Ð- AD 1540) (Caraway 2).
The Mayan Civilization consisted of 16 major communities ranging from 20,000 to 50,000 people in each. Mayan territory spanned from Southern Mexico to Northwestern Honduras but was mostly concentrated within the Yucatan Peninsula (“Maya (people)”). Through the ages of the Mayan Civilization, the migration of the Mayan people went from Southern Central Mexico to the Southeast side of the Yucatan peninsula and some parts of Northern Belize and Guatemala.
The Mayans were also a very advanced in the field of science. They had their own system of written language (hieroglyphics), their own unique astronomical observations, their unique (and first in the world) 365 day calendar, and most importantly to this report, their own unique architecture. The Mayans, unlike other European cultures, did not borrow ideas of religion, culture, art, or architecture from other civilizations (outside of the Yucatan Peninsula). Although other peoples from the Central American area influenced them, they did not steal architecture like the Greeks did from the Tuscans, the Romans did from the Greeks, etc.
The Mayan Civilization started to decline around AD 900 when most of the southern Maya started to abandon their cities. When the northern Maya were finally integrated into the Toltec society by A.D. 1200, the Maya dynasty finally came to a close, although some smaller cities continued to thrive until the Spanish Conquest in the early sixteenth century (Ruddell).
Mayan Architecture
Tulum lies on the coast of Quintana Roo, Mexico, which is on the eastern side of the Yucatan Peninsula. Tulum is different from most of the other Mayan cities because of its location, its defenses, and its time period.
The name “Tulum” means wall, although that was a name given by Mayan descendants much later. The name Zama was most likely the original Mayan name. It comes from a modification of the word “Zamal” (morning), associated with the dawn (Mureiko). My visit to Tulum in the early morning was quite an experience and an amazing view. It is no wonder they named the city “morning.”
The meaning of “Tulum” stands true however. The city is surrounded on three sides by a fortified wall that reaches heights of 16 feet at the doorways. The fourth side is a 40-foot high cliff that overlooks the Caribbean reef and ocean. Because the city was constructed on a cliff, Tulum was/is the only large and significant Mayan coastal city.
Tulum was constructed during the Post-Classic Period (AD 925 Ð- AD 1540), and was one of the last cities built by the Mayan people. It was constructed around the 12th century AD, which was almost a thousand years after the peak of the Mayan Civilization. Spanish conquistadors gave reports that Tulum was still occupied by the Mayans in the mid-1500s.
The first Europeans to come ashore at Tulum were seventeen survivors of a Spanish ship that hit the reef and sank in 1511. All were either captured and sacrificed or died of disease with two exceptions: Brother Geronimo de Aguilar and seaman Gonzalo Guerrero, who were kept as slaves. Eight years later, a passing ship ransomed Aguilar. Guerrero, by then married and the father of three, chose to stay. Guerrero told Aguilar: “My face is painted (tattooed), and my ears are pierced. And how can I leave these three beautiful children” (Holden). Ironically, when Hernandez de Cordoba attempted to land a Spanish force on the coast, Mayan troops under the command of Chief Gonzalo Guerrero drove them off (Holden).
Tulums site is definitely the most breathtaking out of all the Mayan cities. It overlooks the reef and Caribbean Sea from a 40-foot high cliff and has a beach between the peaks of the cliffs to swim in. But it was not just for swimming. The beach served as a port for trade by ocean. This leads to the idea that Tulum was a very wealthy city because of its savvy trading with other peoples. Tulum farmed corn, beans, and squash, but their major export