La bóveda en la arquitectura maya

Laura Gilabert Sansalvador

doi:10.34780/2z2o-f062

La bóveda en la arquitectura maya

https://doi.org/10.34780/2z2o-f062

Authors

List of Contributors

Laura Gilabert Sansalvador [Author] https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7890-5334

Synopsis

This book is available in two parts. The first part contains the text and the second part the digital supplements.

With a long building tradition of more than ten centuries, the vault is one of the most characteristic elements of Maya architecture. Based on the principle of the approximation of layers, this system of stone wall covering shows, on the one hand, the continuity of building techniques in this ancient civilisation and, on the other, the differences in technological development that took place between the different regions of the Maya lowlands. This doctoral thesis is concerned with the study of Maya vaults through the recording and detailed analysis of a wide selection of vaults from different geographical areas and chronological periods. The information obtained during the fieldwork, supplemented by bibliographic sources, was entered into a specially developed Maya vaults database that allows the archiving, analysis and comparison of all the characteristics of the vaults. Based on the analysis of this corpus of vaults from an architectural point of view, a general classification of Maya vaults is proposed according to several criteria. Aspects such as form, geometry, function, symbolism and the constructive characteristics of the vaulted space are taken into account, as well as the technological advances applied in their construction. Through the comparative study of the sample, the characteristic features and peculiarities of the vaults of different geographical areas have been identified and their evolution over time analysed, allowing us to formulate hypotheses about the historical relationships between the different regions and the possible transfers of knowledge in Maya building. Observing the current state of conservation of the buildings studied has also allowed us to analyse the processes of deterioration of these structures and, as a conclusion, to propose some general criteria for the excavation, conservation and restoration of Maya vaults, an architecture of great heritage value whose preservation is in serious danger in many cases.