Standardization of Apartment Compounds at Teotihuacan, Mexico

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2021: General Sessions" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

How standardized were the apartment compounds at Teotihuacan? Some archaeologists have claimed they were highly standardized in size and form, while others have claimed they are all different. How can this question be answered rigorously? We investigate indications of standardization in the apartment compounds of Teotihuacan, Mexico using a geo-referenced subset of the excavated compounds. Traditional analysis of architectural standardization focuses on similarities in the configuration of space either as modular units or syntactic patterns. Here, we examine similarities in the spatial proportions of rooms by measuring the coefficient of variation for a selection of spatial attributes including room size, distance of rooms from patios, and width of both outer and inner walls. We will determine which, if any, spatial attributes are being standardized and contribute to the discussion of labor organization, central planning, and social structure at Teotihuacan.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• SAA 2021: General Sessions

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 32897