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A Typology of Ancient Purépecha (Tarascan) Architecture from Angamuco, Michoacán, Mexico

2019; Cambridge University Press; Volume: 30; Issue: 03 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1017/laq.2019.50

2325-5080

Christopher T. Fisher, Anna S. Cohen, Rodrigo Solinis-Casparius, Florencia Pezzutti, Jason W. Bush, Marion Forest, Andrea Torvinen,

Latin American history and culture

The morphological study of architectural features, the building arrangement within urban spaces, and multiscalar variation are critical for understanding urbanism as a process. Building types and architectural typologies form the foundational blocks of urban morphology and are essential for identifying architectural patterning. We use a process-typological approach to present an architectural typology from the ancient Purépecha (Tarascan) city of Angamuco, located in the Lake Pátzcuaro Basin, Michoacán, Mexico. Using archaeological survey, lidar analysis, and excavation, we analyze building foundations from houses and public structures; storage facilities; monumental architecture such as pyramids, altars, and public buildings; and landscape features such as plazas, roads, terraces, and raised roadways locally known as huatziri . Our typology enhances understanding of the dense urban environment of this important prehispanic city during and after the formation of the Purépecha Empire.