''There's no Place Like Home!''

Today I wanted to talk about where these civilizations lived. My grandmother Pillo and grandfather Rafael were architects. My uncle Steve is an architect too. My father Rafael is named after my grandfather. My aunt Saria is also an architect. This Christmas I made a birdhouse. That's why I thought it would be interesting to compare and contrast the houses of my three civilizations.

VIKINGS

Vikings lived in long rectangular houses called long houses. The walls were made with tall timbers, and the spaces between them filled with something called wattle and daub, or sometimes stone. They had thatch roof made of straw. Most Vikings lived on a farm, and the long houses had just one room with a cooking fire in the middle. Smoke from the fire came out from a hole in the roof. Long houses were built close to each other to make a village. This also protected them from enemy attacks. People and animals lived in the same building on different ends.

This is one of the long houses

Here's another one covered in moss

AZTECS

Aztec homes were made of adobe, which is sun dried brick made from adobe clay. The home was divided in four equal arias. In one part the family slept, an eating area, a place to cook meals, and lastly the family shrine where gods would be kept. They had thatch roofs just like the Vikings. They stood on their roofs to fight the Spaniards or other enemies, similar too the Vikings. Rectangles were common in Aztec architecture. If a family was rich, their homes would be bigger and more fancy. Rich people had large gardens. This is a fun fact that Aztec doctors believed everyone should be able to use a steam bath. Every Aztec home in Tenochtitlan had a separate building for this. Moctezuma, the Aztec king had a palace with botanical gardens and a zoo.

Here's a drawing that shows the inside

This shows the thatch roof

MAYANS

Mayan houses were like huts. They also had a well, a toilet, a chicken coop, a garden, and laundry room. There floor was made of gravel and soil. The walls were made of wood covered with adobe, like the Aztecs. The roofs were thatched with palm fronds. When a couple got married, the whole community would build the house.

The Mayan houses are more round

          

This thatch roof is made of palm fronds

One thing all three types of houses have in common is their thatch roofs. Although in three different places, these three cultures had similar houses. Another thing they had in common were doors as well as floors. While having things in common they differ in size. Unlike the Mayan an Aztec houses, Viking were much larger, because everybody lived together, including the animals.

In my opinion, I would choose the Aztec palace of Moctezuma, because it's big, but private, with huge gardens and a zoo. That would be my choice.