Network Analysis of the Plans of Some Teotihuacán Apartment Compounds

In the ancient city of Teotihuacán, Mexico most of the population was housed in large apartment compounds, often about 60 m square and containing up to about 250 rooms. These structures have no close ethnographic or archaeological parallels. Many of them are so large and complex that it is difficult to understand their organisation through simple visual examination of plans. In an attempt to describe and compare these plans, simple network statistics are derived for nine compounds that have been completely or almost completely excavated. Several other compounds are discussed qualitatively. Although the sample is small, it suffices to show several kinds of inhomogeneity in the plans of the compounds, suggesting differences in design process, purpose, and history. Among the dimensions along which compounds vary are: single-centred versus multicentred plans; dendritic versus circuited planning at various scales; relative ease of access of internal versus external spaces; overall versus smaller-scale organisation; presence or absence of ‘subcompounds’.