Architecture of the Maya

The Maya had complex architectural programs. They built imposing pyramids, temples, palaces, and administrative structures in densely populated cities.

Learning Objective

Describe the characteristic style and functional elements of Maya architecture in the Classic and Postclassic periods.

Key Points

The Maya grouped large architectural structures at the center of major cities.
Pyramids and temples were used for religious purposes and were built by rulers as memorials to themselves.
Administrative structures such as the Palace demonstrate the sophistication of Maya architecture and technology.
Maya architecture is ornate and elaborate, incorporating bas-relief, sculpture, and painted murals on the interior and exterior of structures.
The Mesoamerican ballgame was a central part of ancient Mesoamerican cultural, religious, and political life.
The cities of Palenque and Chichen Itza, both in Mexico, contain iconic examples of Maya architecture from the Classical and Postclassical periods.

Terms

balustrades
a kind of low wall that is placed at the sides of staircases, bridges, etc., and that is made of a row of short posts topped by a long rail
mansard roof
Aroof that has four sloping sides, each of which becomes steeper halfway down.
aqueduct
An artificial channel for conveying water, typically in the form of a bridge supported by tall columns across a valley.
bas-relief
A kind of sculpture in which shapes are carved so that they are only slightly higher than the flat background.
roof comb
In a Mayan building, a masonry wall along the apex of a roof that is built above the level of the roof proper. Roof combs suppurt the highly decorated false facades that rise above the height of the building at the front.

Full Text

The Maya civilization which had emerged during the late Preclassic period (250 BCE-250 CE), reached its peak in the southern lowlands of Guatemala during the Classic period (250-900 CE), and shifted to northern Yucatan during the Postclassic period (900-1521 CE).

Architecture in Palenque

In Palenque, Mexico a prominent city of the Classic period, the major buildings are grouped on high ground. A central group of structures includes the Palace (possibly an administrative and ceremonial center as well as a residential structure), the Temple of the Inscriptions, and two other temples. Most of the structures in the complex were commissioned by a powerful ruler, Lord Pakal (Maya for "shield"), who ruled from 615 to 638CE, and his two sons, who succeeded him.

Palace (right) and Temple of the Inscriptions, tomb-pyramid of Lord Pakal (left). Palenque, Mexico. Maya culture, late 7th century.

Temple of the Inscriptions

The Temple of the Inscriptions is a nine-level pyramid that rises to a height of about 75 feet. The consecutive layers probably reflect the belief, current among the Aztec and Maya at the time of the Spanish conquest, that the underworld had nine levels. Priests would climb the steep stone staircase on the exterior to reach the temple on top, which recalls the kind of pole-and-thatch houses the Maya still build in parts of the Yucatan today. The roof of the temple was topped with a crest known as a roof comb, and its facade still retains much of its stucco sculpture. Inscriptions line the back wall of the outer chamber, giving the temple its name.

Temple of the Inscriptions (tomb pyramid of Lord Pakal), Palenque, Mexico, 7th century

The Palace

Across from the Temple of Inscriptions is the Palace, a complex of several adjacent buildings and courtyards, built on a wide artificial terrace. The Palace was used by the Mayan aristocracy for bureaucratic functions, entertainment, and ritualistic ceremonies.

Within the Palace, there are numerous sculptures and bas-relief carvings that have been conserved. The Palace's most unusual and recognizable feature is the four-story tower known as the Observation Tower. Like many other buildings at the site, the Observation Tower exhibits a mansard roof. The Palace was equipped with numerous large baths and saunas which were supplied with fresh water by an intricate water system. An aqueduct, constructed of great stone blocks with a six-foot-high vault, diverts the Otulum River to flow underneath the main plaza.

The Palace's Observation Tower with mansard roof, Palenque, Mexico, Late Classic period

Architecture in Chichen Itza

As the focus of Maya civilization shifted northward in the Postclassic period, a northern Maya group called the Itza rose to prominence. Their principal center, Chichen Itza, (Yucatan State) Mexico which means "at the mouth of the well of the Itza," flourished from the ninth to the thirteenth century CE, eventually covering about six square miles.

El Castillo

One of Chichen Itza's most conspicuous structures is El Castillo (Spanish for the castle), a massive, nine-level pyramid in the center of a large plaza with a stairway on each side leading to a square temple on the pyramid's summit. At the spring and fall equinoxes, the setting sun casts an undulating, serpent-like shadow on the stairways forming bodies for the serpent heads carved at the base of the balustrades.

El Castillo (the Castle), Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico. 9th-13th century.

The Great Ball Court

The Great Ball Court northwest of the Castillo is the largest and best preserved court for playing the Mesoamerican ball game, an important sport with ritual associations played by Mesoamericans since 1400BCE. The parallel platforms flanking the main playing area are each 312 ft long. The walls of these platforms stand 26 ft high; set high up in the center of each of these walls are rings carved with intertwined feathered serpents. At the base of the high interior walls are slanted benches with sculpted panels of teams of ball players. In one panel, one of the players has been decapitated; the wound spews streams of blood in the form of wriggling snakes.

At one end of the Great Ball Court is the North Temple, also known as the Temple of the Bearded Man (Templo del Hombre Barbado). This small masonry building has detailed bas relief carving on the inner walls, including a center figure that has carving under his chin that resembles facial hair. Built into the east wall are the Temples of the Jaguar. The Upper Temple of the Jaguar overlooks the ball court and has an entrance guarded by two, large columns carved in the familiar feathered serpent motif. At the entrance to the Lower Temple of the Jaguar, is another Jaguar throne, similar to the one in the inner temple of El Castillo.

The Great Ball Court, Chichen Itza, Mexico Late Classic period, 551' x 230'

The modern version of the Mesoamerican ballgame is called Ulama which is similar to racquetball.

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