This site is dedicated to ideas developed by Section 5268 of Course 2303, Architecture Design 3 at the University of Florida School of Architecture (http://www.dcp.ufl.edu/arch/). Students will post regularly!
Students were asked to research Mayan art and architecture. The focus was on Palenque; the Palace and the Temple of Inscriptions specifically. This is the ruin chosen for Project 2. Students were required to present a minimum of three theories that propose the reason(s) that this site was chosen. They were asked classified their theories as related to ground, construction or sky, and post them on a wall of the studio.
This method of organizing the information and work allowed the students to engage in conversation about each others work.
The ancient Mayans used their site's natural resources in a way that emulated the topography of the area. They positioned Palenque in a region bordered by limestone and, thus, used this stone to construct such buildings as Palenque's Palace and Temple of Inscriptions. The Mayans then designed such buildings to mirror the sloping terrain. They literally paralleled their cityscapes to their environment; it is as if the city rose from the ground and was shaped by the elements in the same way the actual land was.
Update:
words = fold (verb: to fold), layer (verb: to layer), datum (noun: the datum)
My project's purpose is to fold the ground and construction and to layer masses in order to create points of power within "Palenque".
The site and intervention above are a relief construct that display the relevence of status within both the Mayan society and the future business empire that will occupy what was once the Palace of Palenque. The future business will use the theory that this project is based on in order to build their hierarchial structure; it will still emulate the land to form a powerpoint at the peak and will layer the multileveled structure to inform status amongst the company.
There are core, structural and situational similarities between the Temple of Inscriptions and the Palace in Palenque. The structural similarities are primarily shown through the relationship between the piers of the temple and the houses of the palace. Specifically there are seven different sectors of the palace that relate to the seven different piers of the temple. Though there are numerous entrances to both the temple and the palace the main ones are situated on the northern face. This further proves a structural similarity within the two constructions. This specific situation of the entrances provides a sense of uniformity not only between the two constructions but also within the general site. This then leads to the situational similarities between the two. It was common in Mayan architecture that when a site was developed it would first be divided into various sections. These sections would then serve as a grid-like system in which the constructions were situated. Specifically in Palenque, it is apparent that the two largest constructions, which are conveniently placed almost perpendicular to one another perhaps to emphasize the grid-like system, provide a point to which the west side of the site almost draw to. This type of uniformity, once zoomed into, provides us with a site within a site. In other words the Temple of Inscriptions and the Palace both present a critical role within the site of Palenque however are also able to stand alone within their own field/zone.
Students discuss ways of creating site conditions in the class model that give information and potential to each individual project. "..think of the Palenque without dirt..."
Studio sketch
Part of the class diagram showing possible costruction.
Support: Though the Mayan architecture seems like impenetrable masses, by sectioning the entire construction and context of the site as one mass, a void is created above and below this mass. The underground passageways beneath the palace and the tomb of the Pacal’s temple reach up to connect with the voids created by the public spaces and sky forming a contending negative mass. This solid/void relationship continues down in scale when focusing on the palace and temple of inscriptions as well.
Diagram: By connecting the mountainous landscape with the Temple and the Palace and then the more planar landscape following it, one continuous mass is created. In response to where the tomb of Pakal, which is embedded in the Temple of Inscriptions, and the underground passageways sunken beneath the Palace, a one void is formed. By pushing this void through the top of the stone Palace and Temple masses and connecting it with the sky, a second contending mass is created. The Plan in the corner further emphasizes the the positive/negative special relationship formed by the structure of the site.
Theory: REVISED There exists with in the site a mass/void relationship where mass joins stereotomic construction and context forming a carved solid for private individual experience that controls and organizes public plazas . Overall the water color relief model was designed to enhance the idea of mass being private power of the theocracy and the void being the people. For the water color relief model the mass and void relationship was created by popping up the surrounding context to form an impenadrable mass that pushes and volumizing the void found within the center of the site. While the Temple of Inscriptions is sunken down and collapsed to make room for the intervention. The intervention is about a revolution. A new center for democracy is created by bulldozing the massive structure of the Temple of Inscriptions leaving only the original passageway to the ruler Pacal 's tomb (or void). This temple is a skeleton where before the inner workings of the government were hidden but are now exposed. A person enters the temple in a closed off individual experience with no reference to the tomb of Pacal. As a person moves up through the temple they come to meet and discuss with more and more people. As the passageways climb up they start to fold around the tomb of Pacal while mass falls away and the structure its self becomes more and more exposed accumulating in a completely free and open platform on the top.
Support: The construction of human scale into the monumental construction of the Palace and the Temple of Inscriptions creates compression that is countered by expansive views found at the tops of these masses. These shifts in the construction form a procession that runs throughout the site.
Diagram: The diagram shows a linear pathway that’s direction and movement is influenced by basic abstracted depictions of the Temple of Inscriptions and the Palace. Two masses for the temple compress the pathway that travels to the top of the platform where the view expands to conceptually connect with the pathways of the palace. The pathways of the palace twist and turn, exploring all the hallways and crevices till it travels back down the platform and joins the plazas and the ground.
Palenque in ancient times was called “Lakam Ha” by its inhabitants which means “big water”. In Palenque the abundance of water was different from other Mayan civilizations that struggled to retain water. This fertile land of water and vegetation unburdened the people at Palenque and allowed them to dedicate themselves to other explorations such as science and religion. The abundant water supply gave the Palenquens freedom from stress.
Water also played a role in religion. The Mayan's underworld was connected to aqueducts . The dead achieved rebirth through underground caves, 9 systems of aqueducts exist as well as 9 steps of the underworld. This cleansing of the aqueducts is symbolic of reincarnation and fertility.
I believe that by examining the importance of water at the site of Palenque we will realize that water is generative of their entire way of life and integral to understanding the Mayan's ancient culture.
The cosmos has an influence on Mayan culture and therefore the architectural layout of Palenque, specifically the Temple of Inscriptions to the Palace. The Mayans were deeply rooted in the observation of time and space, are known for their accurate calendars and astronomical observations. Their observations relate to their mythical ideas of the underworld, rebirth and kingship. Through an understanding of the cosmos, the Mayans coordinate the alignment of the Temple of Inscriptions to the Palace so that it creates relationships between the worldly purpose of the Palace with the mystic temple and the king the heavens and the underworlds.
The Milky Was was believed to be the World Tree, according to the Mayans. The World Tree, placed at the center of the universe grows through the 9 underworld levels and the 13 heavens. The stars from the Milky Way were seen as the life source to all. The Mayans gave special attention to where the December solstice sun crosses the Milky Way. At that point a dark-rift known as "Xibalba be" appears, which is known to them as the passage to the underworld. Thus the World Tree is not only the source of life, but also leads to the underworld. The underworld is a place veneration by the Mayans because it leads to the Heart of the Sky, back to the source of all life. [Left Image: Pakal's sacrophagus depicting World Tree]
During winter solstice, the sun can be seen setting directly on the Temple of Inscriptions from the tower in the Palace. This alignment connects the idea of the mundane world to that of the sacred king (the Temple of Inscriptions) and his linkage to the heavens and the underworld (mystic).
Fun Info: On the winter solstice of 2012, the noonday sun exactly conjuncts the crossing point of the sun's ecliptic with the galactic plane, while also closely conjunction the exact center of the galaxy, also known by the Mayans as the passage to Xibalba.
Palenque is a multi-layered site developed by the Mayans to unite the existing resources and the construct. The system of underground waterways channeled by the Mayan's aqueducts establishes a clear purpose for the river as means of hygiene, transportation, trade and acquiring water in its hilly terrain. The suppressed edge of the Temple is created by the river and used as waste disposal from the Palace. It also serves to create another linkage to the position of the Temple and river. The river, viewed as mundane, shifts away from the Temple of Inscriptions, a place that was sacred to the Mayans, and burial place of the great ruler Pakal.
I believe that this site was chosen as an example of an edge that organizes the the landscape and the site. The site folds outward from an edge created by the palace, the Temple of Inscriptions, and the river. The site is organized by the mountains around it and the river.
My map establishes the edge created by the two constructs, and the river with two heavy black lines. The thin, lighter lines show the edges of the hills and mountains, and the dotted lines outline other constructs within the site. The system of lines show how the organization of the site folds out from the edge.
I believe this site was chosen because the Maya intervened in a landscape, but used the ground as a tool to map the site. The Maya established a core and allowed the city to grow organically from that core.
As Miller said, “The Maya found no attraction in rectilinear city streets or the city grid pattern.”* They established a core with the Palace and the temple of Inscriptions. From that point, the rest of the city unfolds along with the landscape. “The Maya rarely leveled a hill;” they used the topography as a starting point, a map. The use of the landscape allows the Maya to create interesting public spaces protected by both the construction, and the natural landscape, a true hybrid of a natural setting and an intervention.
*MILLER, MARY ELLEN. MAYA ART AND ARCHITECTURE. THAMES AND HUDSON LTD. LONDON. 1999
The orientation of the Palace Tower to the Temple of Inscriptions allowed royalty and priests to observe the sun falling directly onto the Temple of Inscriptions during the Winter Solstice. A duct was discovered that runs from the tomb, up the sides of the interior stairs to the temple floor. The first part of my theory is that this duct was a means for Pakal to communicate with his descendants during rituals on the temple above. The Temple of Inscriptions rises in nine distinct levels, most likely referring to the nine levels of the Mesoamerican underworld, where a king would descend to its nadir, only to rise up once again.
The second part of my theory is about how the angle of the shadow created by the sun during the Winter Solstice mimics the surfaces of the buildings around the site. These angles of shadow form a path connecting from the courtyard in the Palace to the Temple of Inscriptions.
The relationship between the Temple of Inscriptions and the Palace is through the proportional system used in their construction.
The Mayans really didn't plan on a grid-like system when building on a site. The site usually generated outwards and up form a core. For this reason, the Temple of Inscriptions and the Palace become unique because they were built with the same proportional system called the "Golden Section".
Golden Section- when a rectangle with with the proportions of the Golden Section has a square removed from one end of it, the result is a rectangle of the original proportions.
The Temple of Inscriptions and the Palace together serve as visual Landmarks for the pedestrians on the ground.
Living in an environment primarily covered in bushes and high tree tops, it was important for the Mayans to construct their temples and palaces at a higher level than its surroundings. Reasons for doing so, in Palenque, are as followed. Firstly, a king or any king such as "Pacal", would want his Temple and Palace to be viewed from miles away. Secondly, the people of Palenque could gaze up into the horizon and be able to see the tops of both the Temple of Inscriptions and the Palace. This would help to orientate the people from the town to the city.
Conceptually, the height of the Temple of Inscriptions helps to connect the tomb of Pacal to the heavens by a Phychoduct. In a more literal sense, the height of the Palace and Temple help star gazers during the night and watchmen study the plains for movement during the day.
Palenque if situated in a grid system, the focus and emphasis will be reflecting towards the Temple of Inscriptions and the palace. Therefore, this two structures represent the center of Palenque. In other words they are the main focus in comparison to the rest of the surrounding structures.
This is useful today because the grid system is still used in constructions more over archeologists use it to locate themselves in the site of ruins like Palenque. Their area of study is within a grid system, or zone of investigation. In the past Mayas used to create architectural structures with the aid of grid systems.
In order to create a relation between these two structures a path or itinerary will be created. This intervention will be Pakal´s path from the Palace to the Temple it is a sort of connection or bridge between them. He can appear and re-appear, there is a main public space where he can address to his people and few private spaces with certain moments created in honor of previous rulers. This small spaces are consider to be thoughtful meditation areas.
The Platform theory is focused on the fact that both the Temple of Inscriptions and the Palace are situated higher than the other structures. Therefore, creating more emphasis to this specific site than towards the rest of Palenque.
The structures of the Maya grew organically, from the core outward, and from the bottom up. The Palace was built as a complex of several connected and adjacent buildings and courtyards built over several generations.
In Palenque, three main vertical structures, Houses E, B, and C radiate out like spokes from a northern point of House E and register completely through to the bottom of the structure. House E was the throne room, House B for Lords to meet and discuss, and House C remained a place of memory of Palenque’s early 17th century defeat. All three houses are significant places of importance in the Palace. After Houses E, B, and C were created, they were converted into subterranean passages. The "connector" Houses A-D were then added. Later, the Tower, followed by H, G, I, F, and L were constructed.
A nodal moment of three main rectilinear figures radiate from a central point. These transition into different fields that register with lines that extend to the full length of the page and beyond. Four line weights are present, one for each of the periods of construction; the heaviest for the three main figures (Houses E, B and C,) the next for the connecting structure (Houses A-D), the next for the Tower and the final for the remaining houses built last. In essence, the map read as a whole depicts the construct of the Palace, a system of interweaving and juxtaposed structures that form a compound.
In the relief model (shown above,) The Palace sits on an elevated platform that serves as a visible edge between itself and the rest of Palenque. The main Houses, E, B, and C also sit higher than the other houses built later on in the Palace. The three Houses do not intersect originally, but do intersect at one moment in this alteration. Where the subterranean passageways may intersect underground, is a node that creates an inverted tower that serves as a system of passages and private spaces for reflection and council for Maya leaders to occupy.
SOURCES:
Maya Art and Architecture by Mary Ellen Miller (Pg. 25, 37)
Classic Era Maya urban design can be simplified as the division of space by great monuments and structures as well as main causeways. Open public plazas were the gathering places for people and the main focus of design while interior spaces were secondary.
The main public plaza is the most important due to the fact that both the Palace and Temple entrances openly face the Plaza and sit between the Palace and Temple. It serves as a link of trade, discussion and activity. The hub of the Maya cities were the large plazas surrounded by important governmental and religious buildings so that they were easily accessible by all of those who needed it.
The areas deemed “Private:” the Palace and the Temple, are bolded while the areas deemed “Public:” the main plaza are the lighter line weight. The public area is larger and intersects the private area at one of the stairs of the Palace. Besides this, they are independent and the public area is much larger and is enveloped by the private area.
The site and intervention above are a relief construct that display the relevence of status within both the Mayan society and the future business empire that will occupy what was once the Palace of Palenque. The future business will use the theory that this project is based on in order to build their hierarchial structure; it will still emulate the land to form a powerpoint at the peak and will layer the multileveled structure to inform status amongst the company.
