Uxmal A Study of Mayan Art and Architecture essays

Uxmal A Study of Mayan Art and Architecture essays Uxmal: A Study of Mayan Art and Architecture Mayan civilization flourished in the greater Yucatan Peninsula and adjacent highlands from as early as 300 B.C. and continued until the Spanish Conquest in the sixteenth century, although its origin almost certainly reaches considerably farther in time(Gallenkamp 1985:35). Remnants of the ancient civilization can be found in the form of art and architecture. The archaeological site at the Mayan city of Uxmal has many examples of Mayan Art and architecture. The Mayan civilization had remarkable artistic and intellectual achievements in architecture, sculpture, hieroglyphic writing, astronomy and mathematics. They were also know for their farming techniques, their use of chultunes, which are cistern style reservoirs that held rain water, and their extensive trade. Uxmal means Thrice Built; it was named this way because of three clearly visible construction epochs. It is considered as one of the most beautiful Mayan cities. Located at about 80 km south of Mrida on, what is now, road 261 within the Puuc region of the northwest Yucatan. Taking advantage of the variances of the terrain, it was built with great symmetrical precision (Kowalski 1987:27). The urban center has a series of quadrangular buildings and open spaces. Given the dimensions, it is clear in its time, Uxmal had great political, social, cultural and economic impact. Its building process surely demanded an efficient organization of the labor force and the intervention of specialists such as stonecutters, brick masons, sculptors, painters and so on (Rubio 1990:89). Nonetheless, from looking at pictures, it becomes clear why the investigations have centered its attention to the architecture. The buildings at the site of Uxmal are very important to the archaeological record. Although we are learning more every day we still do not know enough about this region an...