Mayan Revival is a modern

architectural style An architectural style is a classification of buildings (and nonbuilding structures) based on a set of characteristics and features, including overall appearance, arrangement of the components, method of construction, building materials used, for ...

popular in the Americas during the 1920s and 1930s that drew inspiration from the architecture and iconography of

pre-Columbian In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era, also known as the pre-contact era, or as the pre-Cabraline era specifically in Brazil, spans from the initial peopling of the Americas in the Upper Paleolithic to the onset of European col ...

Mesoamerica Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area that begins in the southern part of North America and extends to the Pacific coast of Central America, thus comprising the lands of central and southern Mexico, all of Belize, Guatemala, El S ...

n cultures.

History

Origins

Though the name of the style refers specifically to the

Maya civilization The Maya civilization () was a Mesoamerican civilization that existed from antiquity to the early modern period. It is known by its ancient temples and glyphs (script). The Maya script is the most sophisticated and highly developed writin ...

of southern Mexico and

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

, in practice, this revivalist style frequently blends Maya architectural and artistic motifs "playful pilferings of the architectural and decorative elements" with those of other

n cultures, particularly the Central Mexican Aztec architecture styling from the pre-contact period as exhibited by the

Mexica The Mexica (Nahuatl: ; singular ) are a Nahuatl-speaking people of the Valley of Mexico who were the rulers of the Triple Alliance, more commonly referred to as the Aztec Empire. The Mexica established Tenochtitlan, a settlement on an island ...

and other Nahua groups. Although there were mutual influences between these original and otherwise distinct and richly varied pre-Columbian artistic traditions, the

syncretism Syncretism () is the practice of combining different beliefs and various school of thought, schools of thought. Syncretism involves the merging or religious assimilation, assimilation of several originally discrete traditions, especially in the ...

of these modern reproductions is often an ahistorical one. Historian Marjorie Ingle traces the history of this style to the Pan American Union Building by Paul Philippe Cret which incorporates numerous motifs drawn from the indigenous traditions of the Americas. Maya and Mexica elements in the Pan American Union Building include the floor mosaics surrounding a central fountain (most of the motifs are copied directly from sculpture at Copan) and figures on lights flanking the entrance to the building. The building's Art Museum of the Americas contains numerous

stoneware Stoneware is a broad class of pottery fired at a relatively high temperature, to be impervious to water. A modern definition is a Vitrification#Ceramics, vitreous or semi-vitreous ceramic made primarily from stoneware clay or non-refractory fire ...

architectural details that are copied from

Maya Maya may refer to: Ethnic groups * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Mayan languages, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (East Africa), a p ...

and

art.

In the Art Deco period

Several prominent architects worked in this style, including

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright Sr. (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed List of Frank Lloyd Wright works, more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key ...

. Wright's Hollyhock House on Olive Hill in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

copied the shape of temples from

Palenque Palenque (; Yucatec Maya: ), also anciently known in the Itza Language as Lakamha ("big water" or "big waters"), was a Maya city-state in southern Mexico that perished in the 8th century. The Palenque ruins date from ca. 226 BC to ca. 799 AD ...

, and the Imperial Hotel in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

was in the shape of a

Mesoamerican pyramid Mesoamerican pyramids form a prominent part of ancient Mesoamerican architecture. Although similar in some ways to Egyptian pyramids, these New World structures have flat tops (many with temples on the top) and stairs ascending their faces, more ...

. His Ennis House, Millard House (''La Miniatura''), Storer House, and Freeman House in Los Angeles are built in his concrete textile block system, with bas reliefs and modular unit construction evoking the geometric patterning on the façades of

Uxmal Uxmal (Yucatec Maya: ''Óoxmáal'' ) is an ancient Maya civilization, Maya city of the classical period located in present-day Mexico. It is considered one of the most important archaeological sites of Maya culture, along with Palenque, Chichen ...

buildings. Fisher Building Detroit crop

Wright's son, landscape architect and architect Lloyd Wright, served as construction manager for three of his father's four textile block houses. He independently designed the Henry Bollman house in 1922 in the Sunset Square neighborhood in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

and the iconic Mayan-modernist John Sowden House in 1926 in the Los Feliz District of

. Wright's disciple Arata Endo constructed the Kōshien Hotel in the 1930s, heavily influenced by the architecture of the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. Commissioned in 1953, the massive pyramid of the Beth Sholom Synagogue with its geometric roof detailing is perhaps the most direct Wright evocation of Maya form.

Prominent examples

Likely the most publicized example of Mayan Revival was Robert Stacy-Judd's Aztec Hotel of 1924–1925. Its façade, interiors and furniture incorporated abstract patterns inspired by the

Maya script Maya script, also known as Maya glyphs, is historically the native writing system of the Maya civilization of Mesoamerica and is the only Mesoamerican writing system that has been substantially deciphered. The earliest inscriptions found which ...

with

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

influences, and it was built on the original

U.S. Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) is one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The high ...

Monrovia, California Monrovia is a city in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Monrovia is the fourth-oldest General-law municipality, general-law city in Los Angeles County and the L ...

. Stacy-Judd was directly influenced by

John Lloyd Stephens John Lloyd Stephens (November 28, 1805October 13, 1852) was an American explorer, writer, and diplomat. He was a pivotal figure in the rediscovery of Maya civilization throughout Middle America (Americas), Middle America and in the planning of th ...

writings, and perhaps even more so by the illustrations by

Frederick Catherwood Frederick Catherwood (27 February 1799 – 27 September 1854) was an English artist, architect and explorer, best remembered for his meticulously detailed drawings of the ruins of the Maya civilization. He explored Mesoamerica in the mid 19th ...

as presented in their book Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatan, a work that introduced many to the wondrous ruins of Central America. In it Stacy-Judd explains the choice of the name of the hotel: "When the hotel project was first announced, the word Maya was unknown to the layman. The subject of Maya culture was only of archaeological importance, a, at that, concerned but a few exponents. As a word Aztec was fairly well known, I baptized the hotel with that name, although all the decorative motifs are Maya." Although the buildings use of reinforced concrete to create the intricate designs on the exterior one opinionated observer wrote: "The bizarre Aztec forms may create the atmosphere desired, and will serve the legitimate publicity interests of the establishment, but it would be deplorable if an 'Aztec Movement' set in and the style copyists were diverted from noble examples to the forms of a semi-barbaric people." Other prominent buildings in this style include: * the Henry Bollman House in Los Angeles by Lloyd Wright, 1922 * the Aurora Elks Lodge in Aurora, Illinois, 1926 * the Mayan Theater in Los Angeles by Stiles O. Clements, 1927 * the Petroleum Building, Houston, by the Anglo-American architect Alfred Bossom, a notable proponent of Mayan Revival, 1927 * the Casino Club building in San Antonio, Texas, 1927. * and the Fisher Theater by Albert Kahn in Detroit,Gebhard, David and Anthony Peres. Robert Stacy-Judd: Maya Architecture and the Creation of a New Style. Capra Press. 1993 1928 * the Guardian Building by Wirt C. Rowland of Smith Hinchman & Grylls, 1928–1929 * 450 Sutter Street in San Francisco by Timothy L. Pflueger, 1929 * United Office Building in

Niagara Falls, New York Niagara Falls is a City (New York), city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a total population of 48,671. It is adjacent to the Niagara River, across from the city of Niagar ...

by James A. Johnson of Esenwein & Johnson, 1929 * the Mayan Theater in Denver by Montana Fallis, 1929–1930 * the Lincoln Theater in Marion, Virginia. 1929 * the Berkeley Public Library, 1934 * the Hall of Waters in Excelsior Springs, Missouri, 1937. National Register of Historic Places. * Art and History Museums— Maitland Art Center, Maitland, FL, 1938. Winter artist colony designed by J. Andre Smith. National Historic Landmark File:Imperial Hotel Wright House.jpg, Imperial Hotel, Tokyo, Japan File:Millard House (5) (28416948355).jpg, Millard House in Pasadena, United States File:Ennis House front view 2005.jpg, Ennis House in Los Angeles, United States File:Storer House, Hollywood Boulevard.JPG, Storer House in Los Angeles, United States File:450 Sutter St. San Francisco 2-15-2010 3-49-47 PM.JPG, Entrance of 450 Sutter Street, San Francisco, United States File:Southwest Museum Entrance, Sumner Hunt & Silas R. Burns 1919.jpg, Mayan Revival entrance to the

Southwest Museum The Southwest Museum of the American Indian was a museum, library, and archive located in the Mt. Washington neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States, above the north-western bank of the Arroyo Seco canyon and stream. The museum ...

(a primarily

Mission Revival The Mission Revival style was part of an architectural movement, beginning in the late 19th century, for the revival and reinterpretation of American colonial styles. Mission Revival drew inspiration from the late 18th and early 19th century ...

complex) in Los Angeles, United States, incorporating elements from Chenes and

Puuc Puuc is the name of a region in the Mexican state of Yucatán (state), Yucatán and a Maya architecture, Maya architectural style prevalent in that region. The word ''puuc'' is derived from the Maya term for "hill". Since the Yucatán is rel ...

architecture. File:MayaArtDecoBADF.JPG, A pillar featuring the Maya rain god

Chaac Chaac (also spelled Chac or, in Classic Maya language, Classic Mayan, Chaahk ) is the name of the Maya civilization, Maya god of rain, thunder, and lightning. With his lightning axe, Chaac strikes the clouds, causing them to produce thunder and r ...

in the Art Deco interior of the

Palacio de Bellas Artes The Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts) is a prominent cultural center in Mexico City. It hosts performing arts events, literature events and plastic arts galleries and exhibitions (including important permanent Mexican murals). "Bella ...

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

. File:Exterior Arches of the Guardian.JPG, The Guardian building in Detroit, United States File:MayanRevivalDenver.jpg, The Mayan Theatre in

Denver, Colorado Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, United States dates from the 1930s File:Berkeley Public Library (Kittredge St., Berkeley, CA).JPG, alt=The facade of the Berkeley Public Library, The Berkeley Public Library on Shattuck Ave in Berkeley, United States

References

Bibliography

*Barrett, John. "The Pan American Union: Peace, Friendship, Commerce." Washington, D.C.: Pan American Union. 1911 *Braun, Barbara. ''Pre-Columbian Art and the Post-Columbian World: Ancient American Sources of Modern Art.'' New York. Harry N. Abrams. 1993. * Gebhard, David and Peres, Anthony. ''Robert Stacy-Judd: Maya Architecture and the Creation of a New Style.'' Capra Press. 1993. * Ingle, Marjorie I. ''The Mayan Revival Style: Art Deco Mayan Fantasy.''

University of New Mexico Press The University of New Mexico Press (UNMP) is a university press at the University of New Mexico. It was founded in 1929 and published pamphlets for the university in its early years before expanding into quarterlies and books. Its administrativ ...

. 1989. * Lerner, Jesse. ''The Maya of Modernism: Art, Architecture, and Film''. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2011. * Phillips, Ruth Anne. ''Pre-Columbian Revival': Defining and Exploring a U.S. Architectural Style, 1910-1940.'' Ph.D. diss. (New York:

City University of New York The City University of New York (CUNY, pronounced , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven ...

, 2007). * Stacy-Judd, Robert B. ''Atlantis: Mother of Empires.'' Los Angeles. De Vorse & Co. 1939 * Stacy-Judd, Robert B. ''The Ancient Mayas, Adventures In the Jungles of Yucatan.'' Los Angeles. Haskell-Travers, Inc. 1934 * Stacy-Judd, Robert B. ''A Maya Manuscript.'' Los Angeles. Philosophical Research Society. 1940. * Willard, T. A., ''The City of the Sacred Well, Being a Narrative of the Discoveries and Excavations of Edward Herbert Thompson in the Ancient City of Chi-chen Itza With Some Discourse on the Culture and Development of the Mayan Civilization as Revealed by Their Art and Architecture, Here Set Down and Illustrated From Photographs.'' New York. Century Co. 1926

External links

Route 66-org: the Aztec Hotel – Monrovia
{{Native american styles Revival architectural styles Architectural styles American architectural styles House styles Revival architecture in the United States