For my concept map, I chose to compare and contrast the treatment of the dead between some of the cultures we have been learning about in modules 4 through 6. I focussed on the catacombs in Paris, the issue with overcrowded cemeteries in San Francisco, and the burial practices in both the Byzantine and Mughal empires. From what I discovered, it is interesting that a process that was held so sacred in ancient civilizations is now seen as an inconvenience to modern life. While the massive Taj Mahal was built for the burial of a single person, in Paris the remains of thousands of people were combined into catacombs and in San Francisco one of the biggest cemeteries was turned into a golf course. It seems as though death is becoming less of a sacred topic, and more of a problem and nuisance in modern society.

I chose to explore the influence of religion on architecture between the Buddhists, Muslims, Aztecs and Incas. After learning about the different structures from modules 4 and 5, I made sure to note the religious affiliation of these societies, what their religion has to do with the way they built their structures, and what they used them for. It seems that each religion has its own unique traditions and beliefs, but many of them are similar in certain ways. I think these similarities and differences are what set their structures apart from each other, and at times possibly resemble each other when their uses are the same. I think a few of the factors that impact these societies’ structures is the importance they place on their architecture, what their major beliefs mean to them, and what they use their structures for. For instance, I was able to infer that Muslim communities place great importance in their architecture because of their commitments to yearly repair for certain buildings. The extravagant materials that are used show me that worship was sacred to them and they constructed structures just for that specific purpose. I could also make the connection that they aligned their learning closely with religion by their use of madrasas.

Another connection I was able to make has to do with the similarity of Aztec and Inca beliefs and worship. Both religions worshiped many gods, and made sacrifices to them with humans and animals. This explains why both cultures took pride in building shrines and centering their cities around them.