Mayan Architecture, Its Meaning and Creators

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Table of Contents

Introduction
The most developed ethnicities
The Origins of Mayan Architecture
Religion and architecture
Urban Architecture
Symbolism in Architecture
Architecture and Art
Conclusion
References

Introduction

The ancient Mayan culture started to evolve approximately 1000 BC, and it rapidly gained prominence in the world. Maya introduced a system of innovations in writing, mathematics, and astronomy including the development of a calendar, which is considered one of Maya’s major accomplishments. Maya occupied a large territory in southeast Mexico and Central America, and its geographical location influenced a lot the development of the local civilization. While people from the New World started inhabiting Mexico about 20,000 BC, American land has been isolated from Central America for many centuries. This is how different peoples with their own ethnic and cultural peculiarities formed the Mexican population with its unique culture. Mayas cultivated corn, had a calendar with 365 days, built pyramids, and worshipped gods, but it is their architecture that brought them fame, and the value of it continues to increase with time. To understand the role of architecture in Mayan society, one should view it in terms of the relationship between structures and the people who produced them.

The most developed ethnicities

Among the variety of native Mexican cultures, the most developed were the following six ethnicities: Olmecs, Teotihuacan, Toltecs, Mayans, Aztecs, Zapotec, and Mixtec with Olmecs being the first ones to establish a culture. This culture was very influential because the followers borrowed most of the elements from it including the studies on mystery and eternity of the soul. Teotihuacan, another tribe to influence the course of Mayan civilization, reached 200,000 people and founded the largest city of that time – Teotihuacan. Being the urban center, it shaped the political and economic systems in the Mesoamerican area. As to Toltecs, they lived in the northern part of Mexico and also contributed to the formation of the Mayan and Aztec cultures. The first ones to introduce the system of mathematics and astrology, Toltecs were much ahead of their time in scientific developments. Besides successful inventions, they were skillful traders, architects, and engineers. The finest artists and builders, though, belonged to the Zapotec and Mixtec cultures, for they created temples and astonishing metalwork known all over the world. Interestingly, both of these cultures are still alive today. Another thing that survived centuries is Mexico City, which was founded by the tribe of Aztecs under the name of Tenochtitlan (Storrer 2001, p. 214).

The Origins of Mayan Architecture

The uniqueness of Mayan architecture is evident from constructed pyramids built approximately circa 1050 that relied on intricately carved stone to create a stair-step design. These pyramids were built to worship specific gods, whose shrines crowned the constructions. The decipherment of Maya script found on the constructions shows that Mayan artists attached their names to works created. Moreover, architects used complex materials, such as limestone structures and lime stucco, and decorated buildings with carved friezes and stone. As to the size of Mayan temples and pyramids, its secret lies in materials utilized, for the civilization was skillful enough to produce plaster and cement. Mayan creators also used the corbel vault principle – the arch structures meeting at the top (Harris 2005, p. 63).

Another important feature of Mayan construction was the usage of colorful murals: most of the cities were divided into quarters by two streets that met at the right angle, and the images of Mayan gods covered walls and flat roofs of the buildings. In their quest for supreme construction, the Mayans utilized flint, bones, cotton, and even metal as the building materials. Ceramics of different forms and diverse decorations were widely used at those times. As to tombs, they were placed beneath the construction to avoid possible destruction when new temples were built over already existing ones. One of the multiple reasons to believe that Mayan pyramids were constructed to worship gods is the compounds with large open areas in the middle for citizens to view ceremonies.

Religious scenes that are present in all the constructions suggest that spirituality was of supreme importance for the Mayan civilization. Mayan architecture was strongly connected to the calendar. The construction of Castillo is one of the most obvious examples, for each of its stairways had 91 steps with a total of 364 – which directly refers to the calendar year. Four sides of the pyramid had nine terraces divided by stairways, a total of 18 sections, which was the number of months in the calendar.

Other Mayan sites served as the royal palaces and centers of governmental activity. Events as significant as sacrifices or celebrations of the New Year were recorded on the tables or the walls of the temples. Mayans did not possess wheels and metal tools; however, they managed to construct immense cities across the jungles.

Interestingly, the large elite court structures at Classic Maya centers were the residences of royal members and priests. Inhabitants of the court served in the royal court; thus, they were living and working in the same constructions (Takeshi and Houston 2001, p. 35).

Ceremonial platforms, temples, palaces, towers, pyramids, and ball games were the types of constructions that the Maya used.

Ceremonial platforms were usually short and carved with figures on the sides. The upper part of the platform had an altar and the line sticks on the top. Temples, in their turn, had ritual meaning and were situated on the top of the pyramid. They were covered with numerous designs, and internal chambers have been utilized as altars. Palaces were set on the platforms inside of the ceremonial places. Places to live for royalty and noble people had flat walls covered with rich decorations. The role of observatories belonged to towers, which were constructed to conduct astrological and general scientific research. A peculiar fact on Mayan civilization is that when a pyramid was destroyed, a new one was built on the top of the previous one. As ball games were of particular importance for Mayans, the field was built at the entrance. A platform for the ceremonial temple was usually placed above the ball game walls.

Religion and architecture

Religious beliefs were closely related to agriculture, as Mayans needed accurate predictions of natural cycles. One of the distinguishing features of Mayan religion was the ability to live in harmony with the universe, for Mayans believed that the universe functioned in a pre-determined and predictable way, whereas humans had to adjust to its cycles. It was this belief that had laid the foundation for the development of the calendar. Common religious ceremonies included dancing, prayer, and human sacrifices, which were not always voluntary. The higher the position of a god was, the more blood is required. Mayans believed that the soul was eternal, and it went to the underworld (hell) after death; however, the souls of sacrificed victims and those who died in childbirth were destined to go to heaven. According to Mayan beliefs, the world was created and destroyed four times and has entered its fifth creation.

The stone column with cravings and writings all over it, the Ceremonial Bar at Copan is a Mayan construction famous for its symbols (Herzog 2001, p. 22).

Each side of the column is shaped in the form of a serpent’s head with mouth opened – the two-headed structure of the dragon image found in many other constructions. The image of God in each mouth symbolizes the ruling power and political strength (Push 2001, p. 250). Thus, the column incorporates four distinctive symbols: political power, which is the column itself, religious symbols, depicted through images of gods, astronomical meaning, brought by the double-headed dragon, and architectural necessity as the entrance to the temple. As to political power in the Mayan civilization, it was represented in well-known Ceremonial Axes. The head of the ax symbolized the serpent’s head and serpent’s mouth, and if the construction was prolonged, it looked similar to a serpent’s body, which was the symbol of power.

Cravings of a Manikin Scepter carry a meaning similar to that of a serpent’s head. Manikins were created in god image, while the staff of the scepter was constructed in the image of a serpent shaping one of the legs. Temple of the Seven Dolls is a relatively unknown Mayan construction named after the seven figures raised within the temple. Such signs as constellations, planets and dates graved on the walls point at the fact that the temple served the purpose of an astronomical center. Noteworthy is the construction that is carved into the side and has a rear head of the two-headed monster (Wiseman 2000, p. 63). Faces that are carved out of stone and located on each side are an example of the intersection of symbolism from both astronomical and religious perspectives.

The image of the Temple of the Seven Dolls is presented below:

Mayas used astronomy and mathematics to count and predict seasonal changes such as natural calamities. Information about political events, rituals, agriculture, and science, written on the walls of the temple, is the priceless depiction of the history of this civilization.

As any ancient culture, Mayans have developed their diverse system of symbols, in which diamonds represented the shape of the earth, flowers stood for holy plants, snakes indicated fertility of animals, and the three vertical lines were a sign of ancestors. Double-headed creatures stood separately in this system and were of big importance to the Mayas. A double-headed dragon, for example, was used to conjure the power of the earth and to symbolize the calamities and was depicted with the head of the snake or god’s head inside of the mouth of every dragon.

As it was noted, it aided astronomical alignments with Venus, perhaps, to synchronize or signal agricultural activities; it also symbolized natural calamities associated with the Venus symbol that adorns the Palace of the Governor and works together with a large, adjacent phallic carving at the Palace to conjure the power and fertility of the earth.

A double-headed jaguar, in its turn, was often built at the entrance of construction to symbolize the guards; it was a sign of both authority and power.

As mentioned previously, two heads stood for the specific occurrences of Venus. Snakeheads with opened mouths substituted jaguars’ ears. A similar pattern has been found in Hindu architecture, and the overall facial structure, position of eyes, and nose of these jaguars were different from the natural image.

Mayans had a deep value of their culture and material, as is evident from the city architecture. Being a center of power and religious ceremonies, each Mayan city presented a unique style with features common only to the particular tribe (Rider 2005, p. 28). Mayan architects managed to develop and implement advanced engineering, which guaranteed the supply of water and provisions to inhabitants. In general, Mayans have shared the language and customs, and even though they have practiced human sacrifices, their culture was still less violent compared to other ancient civilizations. The society was arranged under a specific hierarchy with rich people and priests having the most power; however, all citizens had the right to own slaves. As to trade, it was of high importance to Mayan culture, which can be seen from a developed trading system that used river and sea routes.

Urban Architecture

Mayan cities were primarily built for ceremonial purposes, and to make these purposes even more evident, people wore meaningful symbols on their clothes. By Mayan beliefs, the universe had several levels: above, below, west, east, south, and north with each location having its patrons, gods, and goddesses that were of high worship. Under the Creation Myth, the main god initially founded four worlds; he then changed the landscape four times. The myth reflects the importance of the sacred number four to Mayans. They obtained knowledge from other teachings and symbolic studies, which allowed them to ponder their spirituality: reality and myths. A connection between the living essence of a tree and Mayan priests who believed to be able to communicate with it was represented by T. Tree of the World was shaped in the form of a cross, whereas Mayan traditions communicated through architecture and art (Totten 1926, p. 60).

No specific plan was used in the urban designs; however, the constructions were always built by exact mathematical principles, which were still highly symbolic. A connection to symbols as strong as this one indicates that Mayans were advanced in many fields of study including mathematics and astrology. Despite the wide variety of archeological diversity, most of the constructions shared several features such as predetermined axis and plazas that were linked to platforms on which pyramids and temples were built. The cities have also served as political and military centers.

The city of Tikal, located in the forests of Guatemala, is of high significance today, for it is a place with huge plazas, temples, and palaces that deserve closer examination. One of the temples is called “The Great Jaguar” primarily due to its’ height of 45 meters. Other temples – “Temple of the Masks”, “Temple of the Great Priest” (made out of wood), and “Temple of the Bicephalous Snake” – are of big historical value to archeologists largely due to their unique architecture style. Cities were marked by the main plaza or acropolis which functioned as axis Mundi allowing individuals to travel between the different levels of the sacred worlds. As to monumental constructions, they were built by the “sovereign and his court to patent their power and that of the gods, ordering the construction of sumptuous pyramids that emulated the cosmos, from where public messages were transmitted to an illiterate populace that was faithful to the principle of loyalty to their leaders” (Takeshi and Houston 2001, p. 138).

The opportunity to see the traditional houses is hopelessly lost, for they were built out of organic materials and did not survive till the present time. Houses of ordinary people did not present religious and symbolic values; therefore, they did not deserve attention to Mayas. Mostly, the Mayan ordinary houses were set on the platforms divided into family plots depending on the hierarchy of family members. The construction of the house was simple and represented a rectangular room with rounded corners. Mayans believed that evil energy was concentrated in sharp corners and evil souls were able to enter a house through windows at night; therefore, houses were built without windows. The floor was covered with packed soil, and the roof was made out of wood tied together in the form of beams.

To preserve their knowledge for the coming generations, Mayans tried to connect architecture to religion and astronomy (Taschek 2003, p. 378).

The preserved architectural constructions indicate that they have succeeded, and the temples are of big astrological value today. Before designing and constructing their urban cities, Mayans observed and analyzed the rise and set of the sun and recorded the important astrological events. As it was already mentioned, symbols were carved on the walls of every construction and included snakes, animals, flowers, and gods.

Symbolism in Architecture

The Mayans have expressed their vision of the world using the language of architecture to deliver both civil and symbolic messages. Famous pyramids were the depiction of the earth as Mayans believed it had to look like.

Nine levels, nine colonnades, and nine steps used in most constructions represented the nine planets. Astrological measurements were the primary criterion used in buildings. Mayan style can be called controversial due to its simplicity, purity, and complexity at the same time. Architects dressed houses in masks and carved out faces of gods and rulers on the walls, while hieroglyphic paintings were placed on the rock lintels. As to pyramids, they contained even more elements. Most of the constructions were covered with stucco, painted in red color, and covered with miniature lattices of snakes and animals. All these elements made the Mayan architecture especially impressive, and it is sobering to realize how much remains unknown in the archeological records of Mayan early civilization (Function and Meaning in Classic Maya Architecture: A Symposium at Dumbarton Oakes 1998, p. 6).

Mayan art reflected ancient lifestyle: paintings on the stone and carvings in wood represented ancient traditions, customs, and values circulating in the society. This painting illustrates the man, probably the ruler, looking into the mirror held by the servant. His hand gesture symbolizes war. Noteworthy is the fact that the majority of works depict not priests or gods, but common men and women who served their people; however, kings also were an object for depiction if they wanted to memorialize themselves in the history. The scarcity of the metal resource made Maya use it only for ornaments. One of the most well-known Mayan artistic representations is the stairway at Copan – full of statues, figures, and hieroglyphs. The piece of art encompasses royal descent as well as the ritual of bloodletting described in previous sections (Schele 1998, p. 22).

Maya has managed to reach an economic, religious, and social level that was much ahead of their time. Living in harmony with nature and desire to understand the world, their lifestyle gradually revealed new horizons in mathematics, astronomy, and medicine. Striving to find the balance between the spiritual and physical life, they believed that each person has a soul and should, in the first place, pursue spiritual development, which makes this pageant religion similar to the Christian one. Pieces of Mayan art that survived until the present day are full of symbols representing the fear of gods, nature, and power.

Double-headed monsters, serpents, gods, and rituals are only a few of them. Mayan architecture carries information about the life of Mayan people, their beliefs and expectations, and symbolizes the spirituality of those who created it. In this system, the hieroglyphs delivered the message of cosmic connections: “the connections made between men and gods through the ritual ball game cycle and the connection between the power of this cycle and that of the ruling elite who controlled it” (Rex, Reese-Taylor and Headrick 2001, p. 233).

The Temple of the Seven Dolls at Yucatan, which is known for the unique placement of eight faces on the sides, was erected to aid astronomical observation of key stars and planets on the dates used for agricultural activities.

The depiction of eight faces was very symbolic in terms of Mayan architecture, especially during the construction of the pyramid, courtyards, and other buildings. For example, the Palace of the Governor could serve the aim of the astronomical observatory as well, for it was believed that rulers were the closest ones to the gods, and the ruler’s palace was considered the place where the truth of life would become clearer. Interestingly, Mayans intensively observed the planet of Venus. The reason for such attention was in the planet’s movements, which played a key role in the development of the calendar cycles.

Architecture and Art

Mayan art can be found on all architectural constructions of Maya, though today pieces of work more recently come in the form of ritual objects. Interestingly, the focus of Mayan art was primarily set on the human figures and animals whose designs were used to decorate the pottery and temple walls.

The hieroglyphs can also be viewed as art when presented on statues and carvings, walls of the temples, and pyramids. Most of Mayan art and architecture was financed and controlled by kings and nobles who wanted to ensure their place in history, and the architects were of high value to Mayan society, even though most of them were slaves and belonged to kings.

Art is the easiest way to reveal the interactions of society with the surrounding world, for it was widely used in decorating different types of constructions.

Returning to hieroglyphic art, one of the most well-known and valuable inscriptions is presented on the stairway at Copan, which is covered with the complex statues, figures, and hieroglyphs, all together forming the ray of Mayan symbols. This particular stairway is very rich in symbols because it was used to make sacrifices to gods. Gods and worshipping were of supreme importance to Mayans who believed that gods were the dead rulers of their nation having the power to either bless or curse the tribe depending on the number of sacrifices made. For this reason, architects decorated sites with religious symbols and images of gods. Interestingly, the most widespread scenes depicted on walls are images of the seated captive (involved in the bloodletting ritual) and royal audience.

Both the king and the captive are depicted seated, and their only difference is in leg position – the captive has the rope over his legs, while the king’s legs are folded. This seemingly unimportant detail carries the deep meaning – leg position determined to the social status of the person.

Buildings were decorated with mosaics, which were well-formed and engraved on different parts of the construction, while sculptures were used to decorate facades. Regarding the fact that Mayans lived thousands of years ago and had a limited set of tools, the sculptures look even gracious. All of Maya’s artwork was handmade only and took up to several years to complete. Talking about a highly developed nation it is important to note that Mayans have managed to apply the technologies that many other nations discovered only years later.

In particular, the stone blocks used for outer constructions were cut and polished, while the interior walls were covered with lime stucco. Human statues twice as big as the natural size and large colonnades guarded entrances to the temples. The process of erecting constructions as large as mentioned above remains an unsolved riddle.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Mayan architecture and culture are interrelated. Mayan pyramids and palaces that were built strictly by principles of mathematics indicate the high level of scientific development in a society. Most of the constructions served as astrological, religious, and civil institutions and were covered with numerous symbols, the examination of which helps to understand the Mayan culture better.

Without having wheels and metal tools, Mayans have managed to construct buildings of huge parameters and filled them with mystery and symbolic meaning. The importance of religion is also depicted in Mayan architecture – the walls of temples and palaces are covered with the paintings of priests, gods, and kings. For many years to come, modern society will try to uncover all mysteries of Maya hidden in the architecture and pieces of art.

References

Function and Meaning in Classic Maya Architecture: A Symposium at Dumbarton Oakes. Edited by Stephen D. Houston. Washington, DC: Dumbarton Oakes Research Library and Collection, 1998.

Harris, Cyril. Dictionary of Architecture and Construction (Dictionary of Architecture & Construction). McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing, 2005

Herzog, Lawrence. From Aztec to High Tech: Architecture and Landscape across the Mexico-United States Border (Creating the North American Landscape). The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001.

Inomata, Takeshi and Styephen D. Houston. Royal Courts of the Ancient Maya. Vol. 1, Boulder, CO: Westviiew Press, 2001.

Inomata, Takeshi and Stephen D. Houston. Royal Courts of the Ancient Maya. Vol. 2, Data and Case Studies. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2001.

Koontz, Rex, Kathryn Reese-Taylor, and Annabeth Headrick. Landscape and Power in Ancient Mesoamerica. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2001.

Proskkouriakoff, Tatiana. An Album of Maya Architecture: Second Edition. Norman, OK: The Univeristy of Oklahoma Press, 1970.

Push, T W. “Flood, Reptiles, Serpent Temples: The Imago Mundi of Late Post Classic Mayapan.” Ancient Mesoamerica 12, (2001): 247-258.

Rider, Nick. Yucatan & Mayan Mexico, vol. 3 (Country & Regional Guides – Cadogan). Cadogan Publishing, 2005.

Schele, Linda and Peter Mathews. The Code of Kings: The Language of Seven Sacred Maya Temples and Tombs. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 1998.

Storrer, William. The Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright: A Complete Catalog. University of Chicago Press, 2002.

Taschek, Jennifer T and Joseph W. Ball. “Nohoch Ek Revisited: The Minor Center as Manor.” Latin American Antiquity 14, no. 4 (2003): 371-388.

Totten, George O. Maya Architecure. Washington, DC: The Maya Press, 1926.

Wiseman, Carter. Twentieth-Century American Architecture: The Buildings and Their Makers. W.W. Norton and Company Publishing, 2000.

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