TEOTIHUACAN CIVILIZATION
As a Mexican American, I am always motivated to learn about my heritage, there is an abundance of artifacts and architectural ruins throughout the country. The Teotihuacans (100 bc and 650 ad) are credited to have established one of the first great cities of the Western Hemisphere, covering eight square miles and was home to a population of approximately a hundred thousand. The city was established on a grid that organized the homes of the citizens. The Teotihuacans, meaning “the place where the gods were created”, named by the highly impressed civilization, the Aztecs.
Today, the two largest ruins from this civilization are the Pyramid of the Moon & Sun. The Pyramid of the Moon is believed to have served both human and animal sacrifices. The Pyramid of the Sun is one of the largest pre-columbian structures. This civilization was heavily centered around religion and rituals which were practiced in caves within the structures and on top of the pyramids for the population below to experience. Among these large structures, the Temple of the Feathered Serpent represents the storm god was artfully crafted on the south end of the Pyramid of the South. The complexity of the city’s structures is technically advanced, the construction of theses large pyramids were done by man and innovative technology in this Pre-Columbian New World era. The city itself is beautiful, but to think about the work and time that these people put into the establishment of their new home carries a heavier definition of beauty.
is experienced when thinking about the process and the feeling that you get from viewing that object, place or person. The structures themselves are stunning, but to understand the effort and the technically advanced techniques that impacted future generations throughout the country.
Earth tones are prominent throughout Mexico, colors found in nature and the environment are carried onto fashion, architecture and other forms of design. I found the natural colors of the Teotihuacan ruins beautiful, the juxtipose of the concrete and stone structures on top of greenery and the white-blue sky. Nature has the largest and most important relationship with my definition of beauty, through the evolution of growth and natural cycles such as night and day, photosynthesis and more.
The Teotihuacans are the definition of beauty, they had the ability to take the local resources and innovate to create a stable civilization, the ability to learn and create art, pictographs, buildings and establish a strong community centered around religion and leadership. They built a life based on new ideas and principles, and today, we are in position to take what they did and not only see it but understand their ideas that are communicated through what they left behind.
Mood board
Sketches & thumbnails
Exploring structures with linear materials
Aviva’s sketch, facial grid. Wood dowels, wire grid, elastic strap for placement on head.
Sketches of potential prototypes
Final sketches
Technical sketch
Final prototype: chipboard 1/32″, wire
Sawing, sanding, drilling
Wood dowel placement
Final
Style photos
REFLECTION
I chose the Teotihuacan civilization because it speaks to my Mexican heritage. My mood board concentrates on the colors of the environment and culture of their lifestyles. I wanted to create a piece that combines the structural aspects of the ancient ruins located in Central Mexico with a feminine approach, which I find beautiful as a Mexican American female. The Pyramid of the Sun really captivated me with the beauty as well as the functionality that was constructed by man at an early time. I pulled inspiration from the Teotihuacan’s juxtapose of the stone architecture and the natural surroundings. Although color has a small role in the final product, the colors I observed influenced my decisions on materials and the overall tone of the mask.
The Teotihuacan civilization was heavily religious, this shaped my decision to create a piece that subtly represents a halo or sun when looking from below. The profile of the piece resembles the steps of the Pyramid of the Sun, a structure that was used for sacrifices and religious ceremonies built in the second century AD.
I explored my own definition of beauty and connected the civilization’s definition of through sketching nine thumbnails, I pulled three aspects that would become present in my hybrid mask, the sun, religion and architecture. I generated many sketches that included aspects of their culture without thinking about the limitations of linear materials to explore the freedoms and possibilities. I created three structural pieces with linear materials to examine the many ways I could shape around the head form.
My initial idea was to make a grid that covers the face, similar to a fencing mask and place wooden dowels to follow the contours of the face. The final product is a head band constructed of metal sheet that was cut into a strip, rectangular wood dowels to represent the steps of the pyramid and nuts and bolts to connect the linear materials as well as joining an ancient material (wood) and modern materials (metal). This head band represents three different aspects from the Teotihuacan civilization, but also modern details are found in the material choices, such as the nuts and bolts and the abstract appearance of a crown. As I was heavily inspired by the juxtaposition of the ruins and its environment I chose to focus on contrasts of the delicacy of the thin wood dowels and the sturdy metal.
I really enjoyed this project. I became very passionate about the mask because it spoke to my culture and I was able to learn new techniques and skills in the wood shop for three dimensional art. It was interesting to create something with my hands that was originally on paper and translate it with the limitations of using linear materials and mechanical connectors. Throughout the process of this project, I was able to explore my skills in the mini assignments with cardboard, wire and string in constructing contour drawings, everyday objects and polyhedrons.
