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Back to Subjects - Architecture

Mayan Architecture

Mayan Architecture Classic Mayan Architecture Mayan culture existed a thousand years ago, in what is now part of Central America. Its ruins were almost entirely abandoned by 600 A.D, and were not rediscovered until the early 1500’s, by Spanish settlers. Mayan architecture astounded the early conquistadors, and continues to be of great interest to modern archeologists as well. These scientists have labeled a certain period of Mayan architectural history as the “Classic” period. This refers to a period when the Mayan civilization flourished, and extended from 300 to roughly 900 A.D (Miller 52). Because of our image of classical antiquity, the word “Classic” implies the heights of cultured accomplishment. In the classic period, we envision musicians filling the streets with celestial harmonies, poets praising the universe under arches designed by the greatest architects who ever lived. And this is the image Mayanists had in mind when they adopted the term “Classic” in the 1950s. At around A.D. 300 in our calendar, the first inscriptions appeared in Maya sites. There were no awkward preliminary attempts. Even the earliest were beautiful--it was as though the gods had delivered them complete. Then, after 600 years, they ceased. The sites in this period indeed seemed “Classic”—the Maya had been at their best. It truly seems possible that all the wonders thought to mark the Classic period had similarly appeared completely and suddenly, like a rabbit from a magician’s hat (Culbert 162). In this paper I will try to analyze Mayan architecture by relating some of its major components to the reader. “Temples, pyramids, and ball courts seem to be major themes in Classic Mayan architecture. The actual physical location of these buildings in relation to one another, and the elements of their construction are also a major part of understanding Classic Mayan architecture.” (Liz 1-6). Maya Temples were ceremonial and sacred places where the kings, who were also the religious leaders, could talk to the gods and preform{sic} ceremonies. At the temple the king would use trances and other rituals to “open a doorway” into the world of the gods in order to talk with them. Every time a ritual was preformed it made the temple more sacred. The temples were designed to look like the land when the gods first created the world. The stepped “truncated” pyramids represent mountains; the temples on top of the pyramids represent caves leading into the mountains. Classic Mayan temples design seems to be innovated from a technique used by other Central American Indians, the Olmecs. These people built fake mountains by piling rock, and building a foundation on top to build a temple. The Mayans developed these temples further by adding sculpture, and painted faces onto these pyramids. The whole building would then be covered with plaster, and painted red or other bright colors. The Temples were often small, and had three dark rooms in their interior. One of the rooms would be an inner sanctuary where the king preformed his rituals (Liz 1-6). That temples were, in fact, religious buildings is beyond question; structures of the same shape were still in use when the Spaniards arrived and described with horror the bloody sacrifices that took place within the temple walls. Some Mayan temples have multiple doorways and suites of interconnected rooms. In some rooms, plaster-and-stone thrones look through doorways onto courtyards where one can easily envision crowds of religious supplicants (Culbert 165). Many temples also contain architecture that curiously corresponds with certain astrological phenomenon. Most temples constructed during the Classic period have a total of 365 stairs, and openings that align with the summer and winter solstices. When the temples were built, the architects aligned the temples with the sun, the moon, and the stars (Liz 1-6). Some of the most distinct features of Classic Mayan culture were the pyramids. The pyramids were either temples or tombs, and were located in every Maya city. They were usually made of earth and rubble, although stone blocks were occasionally used. The inside of a pyramid contained several narrow halls, and very few windows. The interior walls were beautifully painted with elaborate pictures and hieroglyphs (Liz 1-6). “Straight and unadorned lower walls give way above doorways to tall upper facades decorated in geometrically patterned stone mosaics. Rounded columns and half columns were used, sometimes to frame doorways, but more often to give a fluted effect to an entire exterior wall or an upper façade. The characteristic construction style of Classic Mayan pyramids is most evident wherever the cross section of a wall has been exposed by collapse. Departing from the earlier method of one large block piled upon another, a section of Classic masonry reveals a concrete core veneered with a facing of thin stones, each cut in such a way that a “boot” projects into the concrete interior.” (Culbert 166). This method of pyramid construction gives these buildings incredible strength, making them almost invincible to the rain, wind, and other elements inherent in Central America’s jungle-like environment. Since most of the rooms in the pyramids were so small, they were only used for private ceremonies. These buildings, like Mayan temples, represented mountains, and their entrances were designed to look like caves. Classic Mayan pyramids seem to also reflect their inhabitant’s sacred landscape, as it appeared when created by the gods (Liz 1-6). Ball courts are a third kind of structural complex commonly found in Classic Mayan architecture. These courts were very important to the Maya, structurally representing both recreation and religious purposes. The ball courts were some of the earliest temples to be constructed. The court itself was made of stone and was decorated with carvings. It consisted of two long narrow walls parallel to each other. Each of the walls had a marker in the middle. The marker was generally carved from stone, was in the shape of a circle, and the object of the game was to get the ball through it. These rings were about twenty to thirty feet above the court, held up by two stone columns (Liz 1-6). Surrounding the ball court were many rows of seats for spectators. There were also small sanctuaries on top of the walls, usually right above the goal markers. The rich Mayan nobles would watch the game from these primitive grandstands. Most ball courts lay near the foot of a hieroglyphic stairway. The writings on these stairways were symbolic of the boundaries between the actual and supernatural worlds. Mayan ball games were intimately related to ritual, death, and sacrifice. There is little doubt that, at least on some occasions, losing players were sacrificed (Miller 64). The actual layout of Classic Mayan cities is essential when examining its architecture. (Culbert 166) It appears as if the Mayans constructed their buildings in certain positions, concentrating on the aesthetics of individual buildings, while also contributing to the beauty of the entire city. “ Most settlements were found on trade routes or established near rivers. Most of these settlements were busy and populated. Cities were built on both high and lowlands. The majority of Mayan buildings were either pyramids or temples. Seacoast trade determined the locations of the buildings within a settlement. Widespread demand for certain products traded by the Mayans played an important part in the location and prosperity of several centers.” (Liz 1-6). In the center of each city was a great plaza. There were usually temples on each of them. Peasant’s houses stood on the low platform. Important buildings stood on a series of platforms. Archeologist John Goodum describes the layout of a typical Mayan city in great detail. “The central plaza and its structures are only the beginning, for in a major Maya site, stone buildings number in the hundreds. Additional plazas—almost as grand as the central one—are adjoined to it by causeways; these raised roadways are wide enough, as the Spaniards said, for 10 horsemen abreast. But the Maya had neither horses nor wheeled vehicles, and it seems likely that the causeways were designed for ceremonial processions. One could hardly, after all, imagine rulers—arrayed like those depicted on Maya paintings—sloshing through mud to reach another temple. As one moves outward from the center of a Maya site, the stone structures become smaller. Within sites, and then in the surrounding countryside, a new cluster of temples and palaces appears every half mile or so, presumably to serve as secondary centers for local religious and administrative purposes.” (Culbert 160-162). A visitor’s initial impression of a Classic Maya site is of open spaces and large stone buildings. Maya sites seem to adhere to no obvious plan. There are no grids of streets or blocks laid out at right angles. But there is a plan that makes all Maya cities much alike in basic layout. Every large site consists of architectural groups. In each group, the structures are arranged around open plazas, now often grassy or overgrown with tropical vegetation. One plaza is usually recognizable as the most important because it contains the greatest number of stone carvings and is surrounded by the largest buildings. Temples tower above the main plaza, some surrounded by pyramids, others whole groups that are clustered on a large platform (Miller 66-69). The Classic period of Mayan Architecture lasted approximately 600 years (Culbert 160). Within this relatively short time, the Mayans created a civilization that can only be paralleled with that of the ancient Egyptians and Romans. “ The architecture of this extremely productive period reflected the Mayans culture immensely.” (Miller, 51) The layouts of their settlements are comparable to no other civilization on earth. Mayan Temples, pyramids, and ball courts still persevere today, revealing an entire culture’s genius at architecture and construction. Classic Mayan architecture influences modern day art, construction, and design. Their building techniques were primitive, yet the beauty of their work can still be seen, almost as majestic as the day it was created, nearly one thousand years after their completion.” (Culbert 169).’./ Culbert, Patrick. Maya Civilization. Ed. Jeremy A. Sabloff. Washington D.C: ST Remy, 1993. Liz, Rachel. “Mayan Cities and Architecture.” 17 May. 1998 *http://www.afs.pvt.K12.pa.us/classroom/9%20History/level%201V/Group%E/page/ Miller, Mary. “Maya Masterpiece Revealed at Bonampak.” National Geographic Feb. 1995: 50-69 Classic Mayan Architecture Champlain College Bibliography:

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