medieval architecture in tropical climates

[GlassJaw]

I've been brainstorming on a D&D campaign using Saltmarsh as the home base but set in a region similar to the Caribbean (lots of islands, tropical/tropical savanna climate).

I always try to find imagery when working on a campaign both for my own inspiration but also to set the stage for the players. However, I'm struggling with picturing what a medieval settlement in a tropical setting would look like. There isn't really any "medieval" architecture in the Caribbean; the earliest European settlements were from the 1500s.

It's certainly easy enough to find images of Port Royal from Pirates of the Carribean and call it a day.

But I was wondering if there are places more historically accurate that would serve as good examples? Thanks!

 

[Arvok]

A few questions:
What kind of building materials are available? This obviously will have a big impact on architecture.
How prevalent is magic? Does every village have a caster who can create defensive structures?
What are the prevailing military threats? The castle (is the most iconic medieval structure, in my opinion) was designed to hold off sieges from armies of 100s or more with siege weapons. The area you're describing sounds to me like the best defensive network would be a strong navy. In that case, cities might only have a wooden fence to keep out raiders from the landward sides and maybe a tower or two overlooking the harbor (cities and larger villages would only pop up in areas with good harbors). It's possible there might be a chain (or in a fantasy world something more bizarre) across the harbor entrance to prevent unauthorized entry.

Sorry if this made a lot more work for you...

 

[Fenris-77]

I wouldn't overthink it. The buildings you get in the Caribbean aren't that different from late medieval. That's assuming you're talking about a colonial presence of course, as medieval building doesn't happen outside of medieval european type cultures. If you want advanced indigenous buildings you're looking at something else.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

My understanding is that the pre-colonial architecture of the Caribbean was primarily wattle & daub or bound & woven plants, similar to buildings of that era by the Taino of Puerto Rico, Polynesian and tropical cultures of various islands. The precise forms and materials may differ, but the general principles would be similar.

The Legacy of Wattle and Daub Homes in Colonial Caribbean Architecture

A report by Lori Wysong for Historically Speaking. In his 1492 descriptions of the Caribbean, Christopher Columbus declared the houses of the indigenous people he encountered “could not be more gra…

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Architecture - Hawaii History - Architecture

 

[Tonguez]

Have you considered looking at Medieval Africa as an indication of the kinds of architecture that might develop in a tropical medieval kingdom?

This is a depiction of the Kingdom of Kongo circa 1500s meeting a Portugese delagation

 

[aramis erak]

The North African countries have several ways to beat the heat...
Tunisia, Libya, and Ethiopia all have some underground residences. Ethopia is noted for its pit churches. Cappadocia is noted for several subterranian cities, including Derinkuyu.

The Skywalker home in Star Wars is a real hotel in Tunisia, Hotel Sidi Driss, replicating a traditional style pit-home. The Atlantic Magazine notes that there is a still in use pair in Haddej, Tunisia. They are on Google Maps

THere are underground churches in Ethiopia - the church is what wasn't removed from the pit; there are various outbuilding equivalents in the walls of some of the pits, and stairs spiral down to the church. Most of the day, they're partially lit in the upper, but the church and the surround are cool at pit-floor level. Note that the church is literally carved out of the rock, and is one with the underlying rock.

Turkey had several cities in the region of Cappadocia burrowed into rocks, and then Derinkuyu... which is under the mountain, not in the mountain. These all remain cool even in the height of summer, or so it's been said. Many of the mountain cave homes are still in use.

North Africa has a long tradition of earthen buildings, too.

 

[Dioltach]

You could also look to India for inspiration: tropical climate, and a long history of architecture.

 

[QuentinGeorge]

Try the Crusader states for ideas, not tropical, but warmer than Europe. The Kingdom of Jerusalem extended into the Sinai.

 

[reelo]

The North African countries have several ways to beat the heat...
Tunisia, Libya, and Ethiopia all have some underground residences. Ethopia is noted for its pit churches. Cappadocia is noted for several subterranian cities, including Derinkuyu.

The Skywalker home in Star Wars is a real hotel in Tunisia, Hotel Sidi Driss, replicating a traditional style pit-home. The Atlantic Magazine notes that there is a still in use pair in Haddej, Tunisia. They are on Google Maps

THere are underground churches in Ethiopia - the church is what wasn't removed from the pit; there are various outbuilding equivalents in the walls of some of the pits, and stairs spiral down to the church. Most of the day, they're partially lit in the upper, but the church and the surround are cool at pit-floor level. Note that the church is literally carved out of the rock, and is one with the underlying rock.

Turkey had several cities in the region of Cappadocia burrowed into rocks, and then Derinkuyu... which is under the mountain, not in the mountain. These all remain cool even in the height of summer, or so it's been said. Many of the mountain cave homes are still in use.

North Africa has a long tradition of earthen buildings, too.

North-Africa isn't tropical, though. It's arid/mediterranian and/or desert. Not at all humid enough to count as tropical.

 

[QuentinGeorge]

North-Africa isn't tropical, though. It's arid/mediterranian and/or desert. Not at all humid enough to count as tropical.

The thing is, you are unlikely to see much large scale settlement of tropic areas in the medieval period because of the problems with malaria. The reason the older Ethiopian cities, for instance, are all inland is heavily influenced by the danger of mosquito-borne diseases in the tropics, and it certainly slowed down the exploration of central africa until the late 19th century,