The Americans / China & India

Gina Christopher 

The Americas (Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, and the United States) and China and Inida design was unlike the design we have studied up until this point, because they didn’t have knowledge of the Old World Europe. In these time period we see diversity in geography, including low lands and mountains. We also see diversity in religion, not everyone followed the Christian ways of worship. There were some major civilizations in the Americas such as the Olmecs, Aztecs, Mayas, and Incas. They all practiced things a little differently from one another, but their structures had a similar language. Many structures of this time were large stone pieces made into different shapes, with an emphasis on change in elevations and open space with special features such as the Castillo, ball court, and chacmool Architecture in the Chinese civilization took this large stone elevation ideas and further developed them (hence the Great Wall of China). One of the many advancements in this period was the Stupa, which was a building built over a mound of dirt made to acknowledge important people in the Buddhist religion. The interior of the Chinese and Indian civilation buildings were heavily wood ornamented with a focus on layout and symmetry, often surrounding a courtyard. The Chinese emphasized the beauty of furniture, by making for sleek and light designs, while the Indian culture didn’t use furniture but sat and slept on the floor. 

My Favorite Art/Architecure/ Furniture 

Machu Picchu 

Machu Picchu is a huge Incan citadel in the Andes Mountains in Peru, about the Urubamba River valley. It’s made of huge stone walls put together without mortar. It is 2430 m above sea level, and holds a breath taking view. One of Machu Picchu’s key features is the trapezoidal door. 

Shanxi Province 

This is an example of Mind dynasty houses. It has a central courtyard with ceramic seats and an entry at the southeast corner. There is a main building that stands alone and side rooms. Winters are cold in Shanxi, so they built large courtyards on the north-south axis to maximize sunlight. 

Kang Table 

The Kang table was built during the Ming Dynasty. It is a forerunner of the Western coffee table. These tables are waisted and have horse-hoof feet to allow for stabilization and design flow. These legs were thought of from an animals such as elephants, horses, and the praying mantis.  

Current Applications

Modern Day Coffee Table 

Modern coffee tables tend to follow a more minimalistic style, with less ornamentation. Some coffee tables are still made of wood like ancient Chinese Kang tables and some still have curvilinear legs too.

Modern Day residential courtyards 

Just like during this time period, today we still have residential centralized courtyards in some higher end residences, to attempt to blend nature and architecture.

Modern Day stone-work

We still use stone today for facades of buildings. Here are some modern examples of utilizing stone as a structural and aesthetic component. 

One Step further

Inca Emperor Pachacuti 

He is believed to be the designer of Machu Picchu, and is known for expanding the Inca Empire and consolidating the first version of the Inca Empire. He also designed road systems and food storage facilities for the Incan civilization. So not only was he emperor , he truly cared about his people and make the best living situations for them possible.

Extra links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=WcY6KX_bjSE