Architecture. A West African village, town, or city included a complex system of buildings, agriculturalpastoral spaces, storage and food-preparation centers, clusters of specialist industries, market centers, community common areas, and roadways intersecting according to definable patterns. In other words, architecture was more than structures. The functions and spatial relationships of buildings revealed much about the worldviews, lifestyles, and aesthetic values of the residents. Access to water and wood resources was an important factor in determining the location of a community. In several ethnic regions of West Africa, there are distinct networks of urban and rural settlements located for ease of access to water, wood, and resources for specialized crafts such as iron smelting as well as for the facilitation of trade in craftspeople's goods and other products.

The Compound. The plans of most cities, towns, and villages were based on the common idea of a...