Architecture of the Ancient Americas

[curupira]

Chichén Itzá, Mexico

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/El_Castillo,_Chich%C3%A9n_Itz%C3%A1.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/Chichen_Itza_03_2011_Templo_Kukulkan_%28El_Castill o%29_1406.jpg

Uxmal:

http://www.cancun.bz/Maps/uxmal_map.gif
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/159/335930007_041be7adf3.jpg
http://i56.tinypic.com/v4ze9w.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Uxmal-mexico.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Uxmal_Pyramid_of_the_Magician.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f9/La_Gran_Pyramide.jpg

Tulum, Cozumel, Mexico

http://www.viajenaviagem.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/tulum-ruinas.jpg
http://rumshopryan.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Tulum-el-Castillo.jpg
http://www.brendalarsen.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/tulum-18.jpg

Caral, Peru


Caral, or Caral-Supe, was a large settlement in the Supe Valley, near Supe, Barranca province, Peru, some 200 km north of Lima. Caral is the most ancient city of the Americas, and is a well-studied site of the Caral civilization or Norte Chico civilization. Caral was inhabited between roughly 2600 BCE and 2000 BCE,[1] enclosing an area of more than 60 hectares. Caral was described by its excavators as the oldest urban center in the Americas, a claim that was later challenged as other ancient sites were found nearby. Accommodating more than 3,000 inhabitants, it is the best studied and one of the largest Norte Chico sites known.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caral

http://dismanibus156.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/anfiteatrocaral.jpg
http://images.usatoday.com/travel/_photos/2006/10/16/topperu.jpg

[curupira]

Teotihuacan


Teotihuacan – also written Teotihuacán, with an orthographic accent on the last syllable, following the conventions of Spanish orthography – is an enormous archaeological site in the Basin of Mexico, containing some of the largest pyramidal structures built in the pre-Columbian Americas. Apart from the pyramidal structures, Teotihuacan is also known for its large residential complexes, the Avenue of the Dead, and numerous colorful, well-preserved murals. The city was thought to have been established around 200 BCE, lasting until its fall sometime between the 7th and 8th centuries CE. At its zenith in the first half of the 1st millennium CE, Teotihuacan was the largest city in the pre-Columbian Americas. At this time it may have had more than 200,000 inhabitants, placing it among the largest cities of the world in this period. The civilization and cultural complex associated with the site is also referred to as Teotihuacan or Teotihuacano. Although it is a subject of debate whether Teotihuacan was the center of a state empire, its influence throughout Mesoamerica is well documented; evidence of Teotihuacano presence, if not outright political and economic control, can be seen at numerous sites in Veracruz and the Maya region. The ethnicity of the inhabitants of Teotihuacan is also a subject of debate. Possible candidates are the Nahua, Otomi or Totonac ethnic groups. Scholars have also suggested that Teotihuacan was a multiethnic state. The city and the archaeological site were located in what is now the San Juan Teotihuacán municipality in the State of México, Mexico, approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) northeast of Mexico City. The site covers a total surface area of 83 km² and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. It is one of the most visited archaeological sites in Mexico.

The earliest buildings at Teotihuacan date to about 200 BCE. The largest pyramid, the Pyramid of the Sun, was completed by 100 CE. The Pyramid of the Sun is the largest building in Teotihuacán and one of the largest in Mesoamerica. Found along the Avenue of the Dead, in between the Pyramid of the Moon and the Ciudadela, and in the shadow of the massive mountain Cerro Gordo, the pyramid is part of a large complex in the heart of the city. The name Pyramid of the Sun comes from the Aztecs, who visited the city of Teotihuacán centuries after it was abandoned; the name given to the pyramid by the Teotihuacanos is unknown. It was constructed in two phases. The first construction stage, around 100 C.E, brought the pyramid to nearly the size it is today. The second round of construction resulted in its completed size of 733 feet (225 meters) across and 246 feet (75 meters) high, making it the third largest pyramid in the world behind the Great Pyramid of Cholula and the Great Pyramid of Giza.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teotihuacan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramid_of_the_Sun

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/22/Classic_sites_1.svg/500px-Classic_sites_1.svg.png
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f3/Teotihuacancityplan.png
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/Great_Goddess_of_Teotihuacan_%28T_Aleto%29.jpg
http://www.mexicovacationtravels.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/mexico-teotihuacan-detail.jpg
http://www.shunya.net/Pictures/Mexico/Teotihuacan-architecture.jpg
http://s3.amazonaws.com/pixmac-preview/escalinata-en-teotihuacan.jpg
http://www.destination360.com/north-america/mexico/images/s/mexico-teotihuacan-s.jpg
http://www.shunya.net/Pictures/Mexico/mexico02/Teotihuacan/PyramidSun.jpg
http://www.advantagemexico.com/mexico_city/images/teotihuacan_2_1024.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Teotihuacan.jpg