An official website of the United States government
Their discovery of a preceramic temple at the Peruvian site of Kotosh in 1960 led Japanese Andeanists to suggest that repeated temple constructions played a driving role in the development of Andean civilization. More recent finds of ceremonial constructions dating to the preceramic and early ceramic periods in other parts of the world allow us to re-evaluate their proposal from a cross-cultural perspective and to re-examine the concept of the state critically. Whereas early ceremonial constructions in some areas do not appear to have led directly to state formation, monumental constructions built between 1100 and 750 BC in the Maya lowlands triggered a social trajectory toward the emergence of dynasties. Early organizers of ceremonies may have provided a prototype of later Maya rulership, which was closely tied to public performance. Early buildings probably facilitated collaboration among many people without pronounced inequality, but this process likely produced a basis for later hierarchical organization by creating political subjects who willingly accept communal obligations. Those observations encourage us to move beyond the restrictive approach to the state and to examine different dimensions of broad social processes.
more »
« less
This content will become publicly available on December 1, 2025
The politics of provincial site planning and the architectural evolution of the Inka administrative center of Turi, northern Chile
Political aspects of imperial architecture are usually evaluated in terms of the symbolism of specific buildings as opposed to overall site planning and layout. This reflects a shortcoming in our understanding of imperial tactics, as provincial site layouts were likely politically calculated. Here we present an architectural study of the Inka provincial capital of Turi, a well-preserved local population center in northern Chile co-opted for Inka imperial administration of the Atacama Desert area. We reevaluate layout planning at the site using concepts of building coordination and inter-site standardization to identify potentially planned features, and add to this a chronological study of surface architecture based upon wall-abutments and radiocarbon dates associated with a sample of building events. Results indicate significant Inka-era remodeling took the pre-existing site’s layout in a more coordinated and monumental direction, serving to increase site symmetry, reference political ideas through inter-site standardization, and focus greater attention upon Inka political buildings. Political buildings themselves grew more formalized and monumental over the course of the imperial occupation, culminating in the construction of a large kallanka state building near the end of the 15th century. Overall, we argue that layout remodeling was used to form increasingly strong architectural pronouncements of state legitimacy over time, and that moving past a ‘planned’ versus ‘unplanned’ conceptual binary will aid in gleaning more information from imperial sites in future research.
more »
« less
- Award ID(s):
- 2152143
- PAR ID:
- 10593059
- Publisher / Repository:
- Elsevier
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Anthropological Archaeology
- Volume:
- 76
- Issue:
- C
- ISSN:
- 0278-4165
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 101623
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- Empires Architecture Imperialism Settlement planning Inka Provincial archaeology Symbolism Chile Chronology
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
This dataset includes files from an extensive wind tunnel study of stepped-roof buildings conducted at the Wall of Wind facility at Florida International University. The aim of the study was to clarify the key factors that affect aerodynamic forces on complex architectural shapes. While ASCE7-22 offers a guideline for wind loads on building components and roofs, it falls short of providing the detailed data needed by engineers to calculate wind loads on the surfaces of stepped-roof buildings. This study fills that gap. The main subject under investigation was the impact of wind loads on different building geometries such as stepped roofs, U-shaped buildings, podium structures, and low-rise buildings with carport extensions. This involved a detailed examination of how various structural features influenced wind pressure distribution, with a specific emphasis on understanding the behavior of wind forces on these models. The outcomes include a series of detailed findings on wind pressure coefficients for each building model. These results offer insights into the wind load characteristics for different architectural forms, contributing to a better understanding of structural behavior under wind forces. The study findings will furnish additional data to enable engineers and scholars to more accurately assess and comprehend wind loads on buildings with multi-level roofs. The dataset includes diagrams of each model’s geometry and wind pressure data. The data highlighted key areas where wind pressures were most significant and how different building features either mitigated or exacerbated these pressures. The data gathered from this study can be reused in multiple ways. It can serve as a reference for designing wind-resilient buildings, particularly in regions susceptible to strong winds or hurricanes. The empirical data can also aid in validating and refining computational models for predicting wind loads on buildings. Additionally, it can be used in academic research for further exploration into wind engineering, urban planning, and architectural design, potentially leading to innovations in building safety standards and construction practices.more » « less
-
The archaeological site of Nixtun-Chi’ch’ is located on the Candelaria Peninsula on the western side of Lake Petén Itzá, Guatemala. The site, covering over 2.5km², has been intermittently excavated since 1995 and contains more than 450 buildings. These investigations have revealed the long-term occupation of the site from the Middle Preclassic (800-400/300 BCE) to the present. The site’s Preclassic occupation was both intensive and extensive with the construction of many monumental structures and a gridded city plan. Unlike the abundant and recent coverage of the Preclassic period at NixtunCh’ich’, literature on the Postclassic period (950-1525 CE) is limited. This paper focuses on the Postclassic period whose occupations are scattered across the site above the Preclassic period constructions. The excavated Postclassic occupations are located outside of the central core of the site, mostly along the lakeshore. What was the situation at Nixtun-Ch’ich’ during the Postclassic period? What was the livelihood? We believe that combining archeological data with historical documents allows for effective investigation. Using both archaeological data and Spanish historical documents from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries we aim to answer these questions through a reconstruction of these architectural patterns and lifestyles of the people at Nixtun-Ch’ich’ during the Postclassic period.more » « less
-
This Work in Progress (WIP) paper describes the development of a middle school program focused on an integrated STEM architectural engineering design project and exploration of career pathways. The current engineering workforce is increasingly aging, needing new engineering graduates to meet the industry demands. It is crucial to create inclusive educational programs in STEM to expose and connect with youths from diverse backgrounds, especially the demographics that are underrepresented, in STEM career paths. Middle school is a pivotal time for generating students’ awareness of and promoting pathways into STEM careers; however, opportunities to engage in engineering are often lacking or nonexistent, particularly for low-income students. Additionally, low-income students may bring particular experiences and skills from their backgrounds to engineering that may increase the innovation of engineering solutions. These assets are important to recognize and cultivate in young students. The Middle School Architectural Engineering Pilot Program (MSAEPP), drawing from social cognitive career theory and identity-based motivation, is an intervention designed to affect STEM-related content and STEM identities, motivation, and career goals for low-income students using relatable topics within the building industry. The focus on architectural engineering activities is because buildings, and the industry they represent, touch everyone’s lives. The MSAEPP is planned to be implemented through the Talent Search Programs at middle schools in Pennsylvania. The Talent Search Program is one of the Federal TRIO Programs dedicated to assisting high school students in furthering their education. Penn State Talent Search Programs serve 22 schools in 8 impoverished school districts. The pilot program engages middle school students (seventh and eighth grade) in architectural engineering-related lessons and activities, by exploring engineering identities interactions with architectural engineering industry professionals, and by planning potential career pathways in architectural engineering and other STEM careers with Talent Search Counselors. The purpose of this paper is to present the background and process used in this funded NSF project for developing the suite of architectural engineering related lessons and activities and the research plan for answering the research question: How do the combination of meaningful engineering learning, exposure to professional engineers, and career planning, focused on building industry engineering applications, increase identity-based motivation of students from low-income households and marginalized students in pursuing STEM careers? Answering this question will inform future work developing interventions that target similar goals and will validate and expand the identity-based motivation framework. Keywords: middle school, identity, motivation, informal education.more » « less
-
This Work in Progress (WIP) paper describes the development of a middle school program focused on an integrated STEM architectural engineering design project and exploration of career pathways. The current engineering workforce is increasingly aging, needing new engineering graduates to meet the industry demands. It is crucial to create inclusive educational programs in STEM to expose and connect with youths from diverse backgrounds, especially the demographics that are underrepresented, in STEM career paths. Middle school is a pivotal time for generating students’ awareness of and promoting pathways into STEM careers; however, opportunities to engage in engineering are often lacking or nonexistent, particularly for low-income students. Additionally, low-income students may bring particular experiences and skills from their backgrounds to engineering that may increase the innovation of engineering solutions. These assets are important to recognize and cultivate in young students. The Middle School Architectural Engineering Pilot Program (MSAEPP), drawing from social cognitive career theory and identity-based motivation, is an intervention designed to affect STEM related content and STEM identities, motivation, and career goals for low-income students using relatable topics within the building industry. The focus on architectural engineering activities is because buildings, and the industry they represent, touch everyone’s lives. The MSAEPP is planned to be implemented through the Talent Search Programs at middle schools in Pennsylvania. The Talent Search Program is one of the Federal TRIO Programs dedicated to assisting high school students in furthering their education. Penn State Talent Search Programs serve 22 schools in 8 impoverished school districts. The pilot program engages middle school students (seventh and eighth grade) in architectural engineering related lessons and activities, by exploring engineering identities interactions with architectural engineering industry professionals, and by planning potential career pathways in architectural engineering and other STEM careers with Talent Search Counselors. The purpose of this paper is to present the background and process used in this funded NSF project for developing the suite of architectural engineering related lessons and activities and the research plan for answering the research question: How does the combination of meaningful engineering learning, exposure to professional engineers, and career planning, focused on building industry engineering applications, increase identity-based motivation of students from low-income households and marginalized students in pursuing STEM careers? Answering this question will inform future work developing interventions that target similar goals and will validate and expand the identity-based motivation framework. Keywords: middle school, identity, motivation, informal education.more » « less
