Talud-tablero

Talud-tablero is an architectural style most commonly used in platforms, temples, and pyramids in Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, becoming popular in the Early Classic Period of Teotihuacan.

[2] Teotihuacan's influence was especially evident in newer settlements that developed during the Early Classic Period, which adopted the talud-tablero architectural style and may have utilized guidance from the city to become trading centers themselves.

In some cases, such as the Maya city of Tikal, the introduction of talud-tablero architecture during the Early Classic corresponds with direct contact with Teotihuacan and possible domination or conquest.

A competing theory by Juan Pedro Laporte postulates that Tikal may have developed talud-tablero independently from Teotihuacan based on their extensive use of apron molding in their architecture that may have been a precursor to the slope-and-panel.

[5] The earliest examples of talud-tablero constructions date not from the Teotihuacan Early Classic Period, however, but are found in Pre-Classic constructions in the Tlaxcala-Puebla region,[6] with the oldest known dating to c. 200 BC in the Mexican city of Tlalancaleca.

Schematic representation of the talud-tablero style used in many Mesoamerican pyramids and a prominent stylistic feature of Teotihuacano architecture
An overview of differing Talud-tablero styles used by different Mesoamerican cultures [ 1 ]