Good morning, we are winding down 1491: Before Columbus with an episode about indigenous architecture and urban design. After this there is one last episode, bringing the full series to eight episodes. I have concluded that the number downside of this series is that it was way too short. Yes, I am saying that eight episodes is too short for this series. It was a high-production series and very well done. On top of that, I am an incredibly curious person, so I would want to know more. So more documentaries on 1491: Before Columbus, please. The run time for this episode is 47:23.
The architecture and urban design reflected the indigenous environment, culture, needs of the nation, and purpose. Each place had a unique design. In the Arctic, you had ice houses. In the Southwest, you had pueblo buildings. There were tepees in the Plains. The designs had endured. Throughout the Americas, there were temples, markets, and central plazas. Architecture adapted to a changing environment and changing population. The first stop on this architectural journey walks about the Pueblo and the pit houses. These were warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Eventually, maize was grown, leading to the Pueblo setting down into villages. The indigenous people of the American Southwest lived communally. The population grew and eventually more houses were needed. Everyone participated in building these structures. Multistory apartment buildings were eventually built into cliffs and housed hundreds of people. For 400 years these centers thrived, however, change was coming. What would happen to these centers? What would happen to the people who built these structures? The next civilization is the Inka civilization and the first discussion about the Inka’s roads. The roads were there before the Inka were there so they expanded on these roads. This road system connected thousands of people. These highways were designed to connect the people of the four regions of the Inka Empire. These highways covered a vast number of ecosystems and extended from Ecuador to Argentina. This highway was essential for armies, information, and goods. The engineers who had worked through mountains and rivers. It was a massive system that served the political, social, and economic needs of the rulers. This road created the largest empires in the world. Parts of the road are still in use. Caral was one of the largest and most sophisticated urban centers built in America. It was the most prominent city in the region. It consisted of pyramids, sunken courtyards, and temples. The people used quarried stone and sand. They transported this stone in reed bags. The area is prone to earthquakes and the engineer kept this in mind, carefully designing the walls to prevent walls from collapsing. Then there is a discussion on the Inuit people and their ice houses. This design was used for thousands of years. Additionally, there was a discussion of the Aztec civilization. Their civilization started off on an Island, this island was sacred to the Aztecs. This island was in the middle of a lake, and this lake had no outlet to it. The Aztecs had to manage the water in the lake. There was a large temple complex on this island and there were four causeways on this island. There was a large marketplace where people could buy and sell. There are artisan shops where craftspeople would do their work. How else did the indigenous people adapt their architecture? What can indigenous architecture tell us about the people? What about urban planning? Tune into the rest of this episode to find out more. The first little blip talks about the movement of people and trade goods through the empire. The civilization discussed include the Chinese, Roman, and Inka Road systems. The second little blip talks about the building of pyramids. Discussed in this section are the Egyptians, Mesopotamians, and Caral. This still continues to be an excellent series and one I would show in the classroom. I wish this series was longer because there were some civilizations that deserved their own episode. It left me thirsty for more knowledge about the indigenous civilizations before 1491. I am sure if I was left thirsty for more, the students will be left thirsty for more.
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