mesoamerican [Design] guide to make Mesoamerican mod.

[Lion.Kanzen]

Quote

 El disco es una representación del Sol. En el pensamiento mesoamericano, el Sol era considerado como un guerrero. Sus rayos eran concebidos como sus armas y recibían el nombre de serpiente de turquesa (en náhuatl, Xiuhcóatl).

The symbol looks like important to Mesoamerican.

[Tomcelmare]

This could be interesting too:

http://research.famsi.org/zapotec/zapotec_list.php?search=maize or corn

[Lion.Kanzen]

 

this can be help full

[Tomcelmare]

I don't understand the relation between the parrot and my link?

[Lion.Kanzen]

1 minute ago, Tomcelmare said:

I don't understand the relation between the parrot and my link?

Your link don't have relation, I wasn't quoting you  .

 

[Indibil]

THE ZAPOTECS:

Time: 5 periods:

Monte albán I: 500 b.C. -100 b.C. ( interaction with the Olmecs ) --> lands in time time period

Monte albán II: 100 b.C. - 250 a.C. ( contact with mayans, started worshiping the bats ) --> lands in time time period

Monte albán III: 2 sub-periods: ( influenced by TEOTIHUACAN culture [ potential civ. ] )

                    250 a.C. - 600 a.C. ( started to flourish ) --> lands in time time period mostly

                    600 a.C. - 800 a.C. ( apogee of the civilization ) --> doesn't land in time period, but maybe be considered since its quite important

2 other periods that land completely of time period.

More info ( spanish )

LOCATION: Modern state of Oaxaca and part of modern state of Guerrero:

 

Capital city: Monte Albán, ( image on top of this text )

Religion:

They were polytheists, that is to say that they believed in several gods. His main god was called Xipe Totec and was known by three names:

Totec: it is the greater god, who governed them.

Xipe: it is the creator god, who made everything as it is now.

Tlatlauhaqui: God of the sun.

Other major gods were: Pitao Cocijo: god of thunder and rain. Pitao Cozobi: tender corn. Coqui Xee: The uncreated. Quetzalcoatl: god of the winds. Xonaxi Quecuya: god of earthquakes. Coqui Bezelao: god of the dead. Pitao Cozana: god of the ancestors. Quetzalcoatl: god of the winds. Xonaxi Quecuya: god of earthquakes.

They also had certain superstitions, such as the "tonal". This consisted of the fact that whenever a mother was expecting a baby, on the day of birth, ashes would be placed in the hut where the newborn lived and the next day the animal's footprint would be the totem of the child. Represents it and gives it its personality. Another belief called "nahualism" was that the dark magicians took advantage of their "totem" and became animals to do evil things at night. Within the abstract and ontological thinking of the Zapotec people we find in the word "guenda" the total and absolute notion, the most profound and universal, the most abstract and general we find within the thinking of Zapotec culture.

 

CULTURE:

Monte Albán is a sacred architectural complex that adds to the religious customs of Mesoamerican towns. It was built with several staggered platforms like pyramids of different heights. Inside ball games were held. The difference of other complexes is the inclusion of buildings dedicated, probably, to the funerary cult. Also featured are reliefs carved on stone slabs representing individuals with deformities in the body, known as the dancers.

The Mixtec-Zapotec codices allow us to know the life and customs of the region. These documents were written in hieroglyphs and on deer skin and were painted with great color. In addition there are epigraphic inscriptions dated between 400 a. C. and 900 d. C. In Mitla, another place with testimonies of this town, there are murals painted on a red background representing the eagle, the nocturnal gods and Cocijo. In Hierve el Agua, the Zapotecs created a unique artificial irrigation system in Mesoamerica.

The zapotecs developed a calendar and a logophonic system of writing that used an individual character to represent each syllable of the language.

 

WARFARE:

Jade warrior mask

Weapons: Mentioned before ( clubs, spears, etc. ) and they DID have bows ( Used them in their mithology ).

 

ART INSPIRATION :

Walls in Mitla

 

THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION, IF YOU NEED ANY OTHER INFORMATION JUST ASK ME TO RESEARCH IT.

LINKS:

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultura_zapoteca

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zapotec

and other web sites but these ones are the most important ones check them out ( both are wikipedia just different languages but information changes a lot )

[LordGood]

I know maya seafaring was done in massive canoes made of the trunks of large trees. The mod is mostly done, just a few details need to be touched on, like naval capacity of any mesoamerican civ, since it needs to be there for balance, even if not strictly accurate 

[Indibil]

I was looking for Mesoamerican navigation and didn't find much, heres what i found:

-All civs had canoes

-Unlike other canoes they didnt use oars or paddles instead they used long sticks ( like in Venice ) to push the canoe against the floor ( not sure if im explaining myself )

They had merchant ships ( Christopher Colombus found one) mainly mayas

Olmecs transported their big rocks for their olmec head sculptures by large rafts pushed by many men. theses rafts used tar as a "glue" to be toghether

Canoes were also used for war ( these gives me the idea for small cheap war canoes for naval war with archers and skirmrishers in them )

 

 

This is the only link i could find about the topic ( preclassical navigation ) because theres more info on aztec navigation but its outdated.

Its quite long and in Spanish

http://www.dimensionantropologica.inah.gob.mx/?p=1197

 

[Lion.Kanzen]

Here try to expands some architecture knowledge.

Mesoamerican architecture is the set of architectural traditions produced by pre-Columbian cultures and civilizations of Mesoamerica, traditions which are best known in the form of public, ceremonial and urban monumental buildings and structures. The distinctive features of Mesoamerican architecture encompass a number of different regional and historical styles, which however are significantly interrelated. These styles developed throughout the different phases of Mesoamerican history as a result of the intensive cultural exchange between the different cultures of the Mesoamerican culture area through thousands of years. Mesoamerican architecture is mostly noted for its pyramids which are the largest such structures (outside of Ancient Egypt and the Chola Empire).

there is interesting Chronology

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesoamerican_chronology

in this chronology we have late pre classic represent by : Maya, Teotihuacan and Zapotec, Teuchitlan Tradition formative periods,

 

The plaza At the heart of the Mesoamerican city were large plazas surrounded by the most important governmental and religious buildings, such as the royal acropolis, great pyramid temples and occasionally ballcourts.

 

 

 

Building materialsEdit

 

 

The most surprising aspect of the great Mesoamerican structures is their lack of many advanced technologies that would seem to be necessary for such constructions. Lacking metal tools, Mesoamerican architecture required one thing in abundance: manpower. Yet, beyond this enormous requirement, the remaining materials seem to have been readily available. They most often utilized limestone, which remained pliable enough to be worked with stone tools while being quarried, and only hardened once when removed from its bed. In addition to the structural use of limestone, much of their mortar consisted of crushed, burnt, and mixed limestone that mimicked the properties of cement and was used just as widely for stucco finishing as it was for mortar. However, later improvements in quarrying techniques reduced the necessity for this limestone-stucco as their stones began to fit quite perfectly, yet it remained a crucial element in some post and lintel roofs. A common building material in central Mexico was tezontle (a light, volcanic rock). It was common for palaces and monumental structures to be made of this rough stone and then covered with stucco or with a cantera veneer. Very large and ornate architectural ornaments were fashioned from a very enduring stucco (kalk), especially in the Mayan region, where a type of hydraulic limestone cement or concrete was also used.^[7]In the case of the common houses, wooden framing, adobe, and thatch were used to build homes over stone foundations. However, instances of what appear to be common houses of limestone have been discovered as well. Buildings were typically finished with high slanted roofs usually built of wood or thatch although stone roofs in these high slant fashions are also used rarely.

Edited January 10, 2017 by Lion.Kanzen

[Lion.Kanzen]

About why have that color.

Quote

 Tezontle (Spanish: tezontle) is a porous, highly oxidized, volcanic rock used extensively in construction in Mexico. It is usually reddish in color due to iron oxide.^[1] Tezontle is a well-cemented, agglomeritic and scoriaceous rock.^[2]

 

Edited January 10, 2017 by Lion.Kanzen

[Indibil]

Mesoamerican Architecture:

2 civilizations had remarkable architecture: zapotec and mayan

-Zapotec architecture:

The Zapotec civilization of Mesoamerica produced buildings that were similar to those of the Maya, Toltec, Aztec, and other groups, with a clear distinction between the substructure and superstructure. The religious centre of the Mixtec-Zapotec peoples in the valley of Oaxaca, Mexico, was the Palace of the Columns, Mitla (c.1000), with an impressive platform the walls of which were decorated with elaborate geometrical patterns.

The Ball court

 

Mesoamerican ball court at Teotenango

 

Replica Mesoamerican ball court.

 

Layout chart of a typical Mesoamerican ball court.

The Mesoamerican ballgame ritual was a symbolic journey between the underworld and the world of the living, and many ball courts are found in the mid-part of the city functioning as a connection between the northern and southern halves of the city.^[5] All but the earliest ball courts are masonry structures. Over 1300 ball courts have been identified, and although there is a tremendous variation in size, they all have the same general shape: a long narrow alley flanked by two walls with horizontal, sloping, and sometimes vertical faces. The later vertical faces, such as those at Chichen Itza and El Tajin, are often covered with complex iconography and scenes of human sacrifice (see photo here).

Although the alleys in early ball courts were open-ended, later ball courts had enclosed end-zones, giving the structure an -shape when viewed from above. The playing alley may be at ground level, or the ball court may be "sunken".

Ball courts were no mean feats of engineering. One of the sandstone stones on El Tajin's South Ball court is 11 m long and weighs more than 10 tons.

 

 

 

MAYAN ARCHITECTURE:

Large and often highly decorated, the palaces usually sat close to the center of a city and housed the population's elite. Any exceedingly large royal palace, or one consisting of many chambers on different levels might be referred to as an acropolis. However, often these were one-story and consisted of many small chambers and typically at least one interior courtyard; these structures appear to take into account the needed functionality required of a residence, as well as the decoration required for their inhabitants stature. Archaeologists seem to agree that many palaces are home to various tombs. At Copán, beneath over four-hundred years of later remodeling, a tomb for one of the ancient rulers has been discovered and the North Acropolis at Tikal appears to have been the site of numerous burials during the Terminal Pre-classic and Early Classic periods.

web page with all the info:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesoamerican_architecture

 

 

Puuc-style geometric design on a wall of the great temple of Uxmal.

 

Limestone carvings on the ruined Uxmal palace.

Edited January 11, 2017 by Indibil

[Lion.Kanzen]

For now Zapotecs  are enough.

[Lion.Kanzen]

i like how use the textures there.

[Lion.Kanzen]

A city with interesting architecture from preclassic 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palenque

is very remarkable and iconic those buildings.

[Lion.Kanzen]

A great Infogram about Mayan period and their main cities.

 

 

Ciudad= City  otras... = another mesoamerican cities.

Edited February 23, 2017 by Lion.Kanzen

[Lion.Kanzen]

The tlaximaltepoztli (tlāximaltepōztli; in Nahuatl, tlaximal=carpentry and Tepoztli=metal axe) or Tepoztli was a common weapon used by civilizations from Mesoamerica which was formed by a wooden haft in which the poll of the bronze head was inlaid in a hole in the haft. It was used for war or as a tool. Its use is documented by the Codex Mendoza

 

Metallurgics introduced in West Mexico via maritime trade during the Classic period, since most found objects are near the coast during this period.[4] This technology seems to have been imported due to the League of Merchants that traded articles as south as Ecuador to the coast of Culiacán, Mexico.[5] Ecuador and west Mexico objects shows that the artifacts were found in analogous archeological context, share identical chemical composition and manufacturing techniquesand design are very similar.[6]

The grain size of the metallic alloy is variable along the body, showing intensive cold work by hammering in the edges.[7]This cold work treatment increased the hardness of the axe in this important area, while leaving the rest of the structure more soft so it could resist the impacts of daily use.

[Lion.Kanzen]

• The maceman and spearman can have bonus vs cavalry.
• axemans bonus vs buildings like Mauryans.
• substitute all iron tech by cooper or obsidian even stone.
• they trade as long as Ecuador.
• their javelin units and bow can bonus hunting  and must be faster.

[Lion.Kanzen]

[Lion.Kanzen]

Scans by ludo

[Lion.Kanzen]

More buildings and cities

[Trinketos]

On 18/12/2016 at 11:55 AM, Indibil said:

You could also train champs from there because only the finest men played ball game, they would be much like naked fanatics

 

On 18/12/2016 at 10:34 AM, Indibil said:

I have an idea for aztecs; Aztecs located in a lake (literally) because of an ancient prophecy, because the used to be nomads until they could find an eagle standing in a nopal (Mexican cactus) eating a snake, and 200 years later after migrating from their origin land Aztlán they found it in a small piece of land on top of the Texcoco lake.

So they literally build their city on top of the lake, But how? They used an original technology called Chinampas these were pieces of land on top of the water.

To build chinampas they used logs which they used Mecate ropes ( Made from another Mexican cactus) to tie them and filled them with stones, dirt and other materials, the product was a piece of land on top of the water and they made lots of them and they didn't need irrigation systems, there were small spaces between each chinampa were the aztecs used canoes to travel between them.

They ended up making so many chinampas that they formed an entire city, that still remains today on top of the Texcoco lake, Tenochtitlán which many people don't know was the biggest city of its time ( Bigger then the Incas, Spanish, British, etc.).

Today chinampas are still there and you can travel to see them in a medium boat called Trajinera in the Xochimilco, they are still used and many people live in them. They have resisted all that time.

Another interesting fact is that the Texcoco lake covered most of the valley so today's Mexico city is most on top of chinampas ( Yeah the texcoco lake almost dissapeared.).

So my idea is to add chinampas to the aztecs, since these were the most important technology for them. 

wey son mexicas, los aztecas son antes que ellos

[Lion.Kanzen]

Que mod estas planeando? @Trinketos

[Trinketos]

1 minute ago, Lion.Kanzen said:

Que mod estas planeando? @Trinketos

uno sobre la guerra de la triple alianza(La guerra de paraguay) durante 1864 a 1870.

[Lion.Kanzen]

Lo estas haciendo solo?

[Trinketos]

3 minutes ago, Lion.Kanzen said:

Lo estas haciendo solo?

si , voy por los menus, tambien hice una animacion basica

Edited October 21, 2017 by Trinketos