Residential Compounds at Tiwanaku Organized Around Rectangular Courtyards

Urban households in one of the Andes’ highest cities were structured around shared courtyards rather than isolated dwellings.

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Some residential compounds at Tiwanaku contained evidence of specialized craft production alongside domestic areas.

Archaeological excavations at Tiwanaku reveal residential compounds built around rectangular interior courtyards. These multi-room complexes date primarily between 500 and 900 CE. Rooms opened inward toward communal space rather than outward to streets. The arrangement suggests kin-based or corporate group organization. Construction materials included adobe walls set on stone foundations. Courtyards likely served domestic, ritual, and craft functions. The layout reflects deliberate planning consistent across neighborhoods. Spatial organization facilitated collective activity and oversight. Urban life unfolded within shared architectural boundaries.

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Compound-based housing promotes cooperative labor and resource pooling. Shared courtyards centralize food preparation and craft production. Architectural repetition indicates standardized urban planning. Inward orientation may have enhanced security. Domestic clustering supports lineage-based governance. Urban density required structured social interaction. Built space shaped institutional norms.

For residents, daily routines revolved around visible neighbors. Children grew up within enclosed communal zones. Privacy differed from modern street-facing homes. Social accountability increased in shared space. Domestic life intertwined with ritual observance. Courtyard architecture reinforced belonging. Walls defined community rather than separation.

Source

Encyclopaedia Britannica entry on Tiwanaku urban layout

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