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- see also Mesoamerican architecture
Aztec architecture is related to older Mesoamerican architecture and sometimes thought of as one of them, usually Maya. Their houses and religious structures were unique, however. Aztec cities often competed to construct the greatest temples in the Aztec empire. While doing so, Instead of demolishing an old temple and building a new one at the site, they simply built over the old structure. Often, the temples were immense and were very proportioned.
Some temples have been found to have at least four or five layers. Houses were uniform throughout most of the empire, only varying in size and ornamentation. Houses were built with adobe and were not separated, thus resulting in one large room.
The Aztecs would view craftsmanship and extraordinary work as something very valuable. The Aztecs would build their pyramids similar to mountains. They did this because they believed the mountains protected the rain from coming in and hitting their buildings. The great city Tenochtitlan is a great example of Aztec Architecture. It is split into four sides, each side having an architectural value. Tenochtitlan was riddled (full) with pyramids and architectural values. The city had a grid surrounding the four sides. Each side having a platform with stairs.
The Great Temple (Templo Mayor) was a huge temple with a shrine at the top. The temple was 100-80m and was the biggest building in the Aztec city Tenochtitlan.
Aztec architectural sites include:
- Tenayuca, (conquered by the Aztec circa 1434; the earliest known example of the typical Aztec double pyramid, which consists of joined pyramidal bases supporting two temples)
- Templo Mayor
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