Prehistory to Early Civilizations, cont'd...

So, I left off with sharing information about some early native North American cultures and the types of dwelling spaces they once occupied; and now, I'd like to share some of the types of structures and dwelling spaces that were common among Central American civilizations. 

Teotihuacán, Mexico

In many cases, we mostly only have ruins to show for what once was; because when the Spaniards under Cortés came in 1519, they were interested only in gold and other plunder, and destroyed the highly developed Mexican cultures that existed at the time.   An example of what remains of the 7-square-mile city of Teotihuacán (near what is now Mexico City) from the successive Toltec, Aztec, and Mayan people, can be seen in the image here.

We are sometimes given insights into characteristics of ancient interiors; such as murals, patios, porticoes and other elements decorated with reliefs, because of what remains of major surviving structures.  The Palace of Quetzalcoatl is one example.  

Many Mayan cities still exist in the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico.  In Palenque, the Temple of Inscriptions has survived atop a stepped pyramid.  Inside it are a number of chambers, along with a hidden staircase that leads down to a burial chamber.  The Mayans never developed arches or true arched vault construction; and therefore, their interior spaces - spanned by roofs supported by stone corbelling and covered by wood and thatch -  never survived; however, an eighth-century Mayan painted ceramic gives some clues about furniture by illustrating a figure, the god L, seated on a cloth-covered throne-like stool, which is in turn placed on a low, raised platform.   Many Mayan structures are not known so that the titles given to them result from guesswork and speculation;      

In Uxmal, a Governor's Palace and a building called a "nunnery" still survives; and the Temple of the Warriors in Chichén Itzá, Mexico is yet another structure that has survived:  

Temple of the Warriors

Hundreds of closely spaced columns surround the pyramid at its base, suggesting that they served to support a structure of wood providing flat roofs over this area.  Each column is carved with different images of Toltec warriors, some of which still bear their original color.  Also, still evident, is a piece of carved ritual furniture used to hold offerings in sacrificial ceremonies.  It was brightly painted, which along with the polished gold wall covering, would have made the temple interiors visually spectacular. 

Another temple, Kulkulkan, is a 180-foot square, 780-foot high stepped pyramid, topped by a temple structure; but what is most interesting about it is that its interior layout corresponds to the "Golden mean" of geometry, with walls placed so that the outer spaces relate to the center chamber in a 0.618:1 (Golden) ratio. 

Next, I will share some information about what were typical structures in South America; followed by interesting civilizations of Ancient Egypt.

Initial Description About My First Two Classes

I planned to post proactively -- before and/or as I was attending my first semester; however, my website was being re-vamped (to include this blog), and time just got away from me.  So, I'm entering posts about my first semester reactively -- which may be nicer in the end as it will allow me to be a little more reflective!  

In past tense...

The first two classes were supposed to be Orientation and History of Interiors; however, there were not enough who enrolled to form the Orientation class, and it was cancelled. So, upon the advice of the program director, I substituted it with Textiles for Interiors and I'll be picking up Orientation in the Fall. 

The course description for History of Interiors included a comprehensive study of architecture and period furnishing from prehistoric through American Art-Deco periods. Major political, religious, and art movements that influenced the Interior Design profession were also included. 

The course description for Textiles for Interiors introduced us to the textile styles, properties, testing, and appropriate uses in Interior Design.  

Both of these classes were just great!  I really enjoyed them so much, and I really learned a lot.  Having taken them has really helped me pay much more attention to architecture around me and to textiles in my every day world -- from furniture, to clothing, and certainly to the interiors of every room I enter.  I have a whole new appreciation for these things and I just love having more in-depth knowledge about their construction.  

I never seriously thought about it before, but both architecture and textiles stem from having been constructed.   ...a no-brainer about the origin of a building (having been c-o-n-s-t-r-u-c-t-e-d), I know; but, I just never thought about fabric being constructed, too.  Fabric was just fabric -- colorful, plain or patterned, textured or not so much, etc..., but now I see it as f-a-b-r-i-c -- having a classification and a fiber family, having fiber content, constructed a certain way, having a certain weight and usage, and certain qualities that enable it to be used and applied among very specific purposes.  I just think it's so exciting to discover a whole new reason for appreciating architecture, interiors, and the textiles that fill them; so, I hope I do them all at least a little bit of justice by sharing some interesting things about them.

In my next post, I will begin sharing some of the wonderful things I've learned so far about the history of interiors and about textiles in general.