Political Expansion and the Creation of Ritual Landscapes: A Comparative Study of Inca and Aztec Cosmovision

Abstract

In Precolumbian Central Mexico and the southern Andes, the Aztec and the Inca states created ritual landscapes that were based on observation of the natural environment and of celestial phenomena, but were also closely connected to cosmovision, defined as the structured view of nature and the universe in relation to man. By means of sophisticated architectural projects the landscape was transformed according to the canons of cosmological concepts, thus unifying time and space into a dialectical interacting whole. Simultaneously, the creation of these sanctuaries also expressed the exercise of power of these expanding states. I analyse several examples of the ritual landscapes created by the Aztecs in the Central Highlands and the Basin of Mexico, that are confronted with examples from the Incas in their immediate domain of influence around their capital, Cuzco. The comparative study of Aztecs and Incas may contribute to a broader understanding of Native American societies and landscape archaeology.

Sawasiray y Pitusiray: Paisaje sagrado, ancestros, agua y fertilidad

“…12, 13, 14). Broda (2015), con base en estos hechos, sugiere que el entorno construido de Huchuy Qosqo expresaba una cosmovisión que santificaba el paisaje inmediato constituido por andenes y manantiales. Los canales y las montañas circundantes jugaban un papel destacado durante los eventos sociales en el lugar.…”

Settlement Relocation, Urban Construction, and Social Transformation in China’s Central Plain, 2300–1500 b.c

“…2003). In addition, an authority might consciously match the location and layout of a city to a cosmogram to engender political and economic centrality (Broda 2015;Carrasco 1999;Feng 2015;Lewis 2006;Price 1995;Sugiyama 2010;Wheatley 1971). An authority could also make monumental structures and ritual events exclusive or inclusive to regulate the manner of participation and interaction within a social gathering (Love 1999;Rodning 2013;Swenson 2012).…”