aztec and pre aztec and inca civilization

Inca religious beliefs impacted the layout of their cities and the planning of their architectural design and the design of their public spaces. The same is true for the Aztecs, who stressed the importance of astronomy in layout and design. The situation of the site in relation to its natural surroundings was also critical in both cases, perhaps more so for the Incas, who constructed Machu Picchu at a high altitude and rugged, undulating, uneven terrain.

Hierarchies were heavily embedded in Inca worldview, evident in the positioning of cities like Machu Picchu at altitude. In fact, symbols of hierarchy are embedded everywhere at Machu Picchu, "especially in a ceremonial context," (Nair, 2015, p. 124). The same can be said for the Aztecs, for whom order and cosmic hierarchal structure served a crucial social and political as well as cosmological function. Aztec architecture like that of Teotihuacan reflects hierarchy as much as Incan architecture.

Both Incan and Aztec architecture and urban planning emphasize the importance of directionality and layout; no design element or use of space is totally arbitrary. Objects and elements are situated purposely, in relation to one another or often, as with religious structures, in relation to geological and cosmological features including the sun, moon, or stars or alternatively, mountains. Religious beliefs focusing on hierarchy, power, and order informed the layouts of both Machu Picchu and Teotihuacan.

Teotihuacan is the older of the two sites by several centuries, as it was constructed in the first several centuries of the common era, roughly concurrent with the beginnings of Christianity halfway around the world between the first and seventh ("Pre-Hispanic City of Teotihuacan," n.d.). However, the site was inhabited long before Teotihuacan reached the pinnacle of its power.

The layout of Teotihuacan reflects an affinity with the natural surroundings, geographic and geological features, and also the cardinal directions determined by the orientation of the sun to the earth. By the time Teotihuacan became a fully-fledged city, it was clear that it had been oriented on a north-south axis, with several pyramids flanking the main corridors.

Moreover, the Aztecs redirected the course of the San Juan River to "cross the Avenue of the Dead," a clear sign of the power of human beings to control nature, alter the course of fate, and direct human as well as non-human activities ("Pre-Hispanic City of Teotihuacan," n.d.). In fact, symbols of power are crucial elements in the architecture, design, and layout of the Aztec city.

The power of the Aztec rulers was conveyed using a number of symbols, not least of which are the sheer size and dimensions of the structures and the ability for the landscape architects to redirect the course of a river. However, a closer look reveals that power is also implied in the mastery of geometry and engineering principles, giving rise to the pyramidal structures and their clean, geometric lines.

Geometry also features prominently at Machu Picchu, where many structures are rectangular at the base but taper towards the top as with a trapezoid -- not quite like a pyramid but similar in concept (Cartwright, 2014). Power was conveyed through the geometric precision used to construct the edifices at Machu Picchu and not just its temples, but the temples demonstrated the fusion of human and divine power.

Gold was the way the Incas would convey their power; the structures were once adorned heavily with gold but their ruins no longer display this ornate design element. Also integral to the display of great wealth and power were the structures known as ushnu, which are like panopticons in that they are viewing platforms that are as symbolic in function as they are in form.

Just as water served a critical element in the construction of Teotihuacan, the Incas also "went to special care to provide the sight and sound of flowing water, or falling water," (Wright, 1994). Both Teotihuacan and Machu Piccu demonstrate the blending of natural and human-made elements, their architects reflecting the core tenets of their respective guiding religions. Harmony with the natural surroundings was important, but control of and dominance over that surrounding also proved important. Both Inca and Aztec structures mirror the cosmos.

Cosmological elements like the sun, moon, and stars were important to Inca and Aztec worldviews and worship, making their way into layout and design. Both have temples dedicated specifically to one or another cosmological body, with Teotihuacan being overtly designed so that a temple to the sun and moon occupy different geographic spaces within the complex of the city. The sacred moments of death and birth were also of central importance to both religions, which demarcated not only sacred space but also sacred points in time.

Points in time could be commemorated via ritual ceremony notating signifying moments like rites of passage, or they could be symbolized with stable concrete geometric designs or decorative motifs like the murals found on the walls of Teotihuacan. Both religions practiced human sacrifice, and sacrificial altars and statues or other design elements dedicated to those sacrifices feature in the architecture of both Teotihuacan and Machu Picchu. Both religions were polytheistic, and sculptural elements testify to the distinct roles and functions of different deities.

Deities also occupied a hierarchical universe, and their placement in the urban center and within specific buildings denotes their position in their world, which mirrors the world of humans. Human rulers claimed to be divine, and were perceived as such, solidifying their political power. The orientation of buildings at Teotihuacan reflects the civilization's admiration of and ascription to the movements of the celestial bodies not just as representing the passage of time, but also denoting the importance of geographic spaces.

The same was true for the Incas, although the layout of Machu Picchu is not as clearly aligned with the celestial bodies as Teotihuacan. Even so, the layout of individual structures including their gateways, entranceways, and other features are aligned with cosmological bodies (Pigeon, 2011). The supernatural powers bestowed onto deities derives from their association with cosmological bodies, and the power derived from those cosmological bodies dwells within the stone structures at Teotihuacan and Machu Picchu.

Although the Aztecs did not construct all the elements at Teotihuacan, the Aztec people adopted the geometric and structural symbolism of the site. Aztec deities could then be transposed and superimposed on the architecture of Teotihuacan. Both the Aztecs and the Incas used grid patterns for overall urban layout and construction, as well as radial layouts that facilitate the movement of human beings within the space.

The movement of human beings within the spaces of Machu Picchu and Teotihuacan is carefully designed, dependent on the layout of avenues and corridors of movement as well as the positioning of the entrances to buildings. Controlling the movement of people was another way the persons in positions of power could control subordinates in the society. Likewise, the inner sanctums of temples were off limits to all but the priests.

Inca architecture tended to be slightly more simple, in terms of the buildings being mainly rectangular in form and with one main open space, versus the more complex interiors evident at Teotihuacan. Both religions used architecture for symbolic functions. Therefore, their temples are not constructed or designed to house large groups of worshippers, who would have conducted their worship more in the form of procession to the sacred space.

Public gatherings would occur in the exterior spaces at both Machu Picchu and Teotihuacan, even though the layouts of these sites are completely different due to their different geographical landscape features. Interior spaces at both sites were reserved for the upper levels of the social and cosmological hierarchies -- they are the spaces designated for deities and those who represent them on earth including king and priest. Commoners had no interior spaces devoted to them.

The design and layout allowed for the perpetuation of social and political hierarchies in the human domain, reflected in divine hierarchies and the hierarchies evident in nature. Outdoor spaces were as important as indoor spaces in both Teotihuacan and Machu Picchu, reflecting the differences between inner spiritual spaces and external, social spaces. Religious symbolism is embedded in the form and function of both Machu Picchu and Teotihuacan. Religion informs design.