Cuenta Larga De Los Mayas

Maya Architecture

The Mayans lived in large open spaces. The mode of agricultural production determined the existence of rural areas around big cities, although sometimes they were away from them. The cities, to be able to collect-call-people, were the social, political and religious core integrating Mayans.

The study of Mayan architecture, beyond technical and aesthetic issues, is an important way to approach daily life and customs of this culture. The concept under which ordered spaces, the layout of cities, involves their worldview: reveals that religious and astronomical precepts played a central role. The Mayan city model, with variations, including the existence of a citadel, temples devoted to worship, palaces that functioned as the residence of rulers and priests and at least a ball game.

Due to the historical spread of culture, covering more than three thousand years, as well as geographical diversity of the areas inhabited, architectural styles also have variations depending on the time and region in which they were built, although the Mayan arch is an important contribution and a common hallmark of several areas.

While the houses of the people, as stated, located in most cases around the city-were made of perishable materials such as wattle, cities were built with much more resistant over time materials: think of buildings Uaxactún and Piedras Negras, where clay was used, which today seem truncated pyramids; and in the great temples and palaces carved stone burial chambers which are of great beauty, as found in the Temple of the Inscriptions at Palenque. There are also limestone buildings of El Petén, dolomite used in some parts of the valley of the Usumacinta, sandstone at Quirigua, crystalline limestone and bricks baked Lubaantun with which Comalcalco was built in Tabasco.

Almost all archaeological sites that we visit today belong to the Classic period, and its flowering year is between 600 and 1000 AD, a period in which the architecture-basically reached artistic expressions with the Puuc style, the clearest example is the Temple of the Magician at Uxmal - not only amazed the Spaniards, but are now considered artistic monuments of mankind; fascinating and enigmatic spaces that attract people of various nationalities during most of the year.

It is important to consider that the architecture of the Postclassic period lies only in Quintana Roo: Chichen Itza (Mayan-Toltec influence is manifested in the Temple of the Warriors, The Castle, the Observatory) and Tulum (the Temple of the Frescoes) since we must consider that the cities located in the southern region were abandoned before the year 800 AD, and in the central area the same thing happened around 1000, due to unusual Gran Maya collapse.

Moreover, we must make an effort to imagine these magnificent buildings as were actually built, carved and painted motif that decorated the pyramids; the presence of crests, stelae, lintels, burial chambers; colorful coating their surfaces, where his writing was present as well as wall paintings. Sometimes carved stone mosaics were used; other modeling frameworks stucco over stone, which allows you to design three-dimensional shapes of great appeal.

As it is impossible to describe in detail each of the styles, then provides a brief description of each article also taken "Maya Architecture" by George F. Andrews, published in Mexican Archaeology Magazine Vol II, No . 11 January-February 1995, p.9-12:

1. Southeast region

2. Central Petén Region

3. Usumacinta region

4. Northwest region

5. Rio Bec Region

6. Puuc region

7. Chenes region

About regional architectural styles, explains George F. Andrews:

"Apparently, the area of lowland Maya Late Classic and Terminal consisted of 15 to 17 regions or city states and each had a large urban center or 'capital'. Nearly all of these regions are marked by a particularly noticeable in Central Petén, Usumacinta, Northwest, Rio Bec, Chenes, Puuc, North Western Plains Southeast and East Coast regions. distinctive architectural style attributes Mayan constructions can be described more accurately if identified and characterized through specific architectural, construction and decorative features.

"You can say that there is a specific architectural style as a set of three elements in much of buildings appears repeatedly, to become its mark."

Southeast region

The largest and most important site is Copán region. Maybe its distinctive feature is the quantity and quality of the carved monuments and hieroglyphic inscriptions, even more than its architecture. The buildings of Copán are characterized by very thick walls, narrow rooms covered by vaults and staggered facades covered in parts by sculptures carved stone and stucco, hollow puffs.

One of the most unusual site in the center of the complex of buildings is called multilevel Temple 11 ... Representative of the agglomeration of various architectural elements and a shortage of enclosed spaces.

Although now almost totally demolished, the building of the upper temple was richly decorated with large sculptures, including human figures standing and parts of larger creatures, lizards or snakes were counted.

Central Petén Region

The architecture is typical of Tikal in what has been called the Peten architectural style. Buildings such as temples I and II are built over very steep pyramids that dominate the core site.

The buildings of the temples show very high hollow crests on the hindquarters, where complex stucco decorations were almost all destroyed. The so-called palaces are long two-story buildings and long corridors lined rooms that appear to have served as residence for the elite.

Mayan Architecture

The Petén style buildings have thick walls, narrow rooms with false ceilings arc rather low, lower and upper walls unadorned facades with slightly steep slope covered with decorative stucco figures, among which are many masks.

Usumacinta region

Yaxchilan is the largest and best preserved in the region site. Unlike other places where abundant palaces, Yaxchilan are distinctive in the temple type buildings, many of them located on natural slopes and elevations, and not on pyramids. The structure 33 is prototypical architecture of the region, with thick walls, narrow rooms, high vaults and later reinforced

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