Mayan Buildings Readings

The Temple of the Giant Jaguar This temple was built during the

reign of Jasaw

Chan K’awiil I

(also known as Ah Cacao – Lord

Chocolate). The

building likely

started off as a

tomb for himself and then he built

a temple on top

of it. At the top

of the temple is a large lintel (the top part of a doorway) that looks like a jaguar, hence the temple’s name. Jaguars are seen as rulers

of the underworld and the nine levels also connect to the nine

levels of the

underworld. There is also a shrine at the

top where people

could leave offerings

to the gods and the

dead king. The shrine roof has a sculpture

of a seated king,

probably Jasaw Chan

K’awiil.

El Caracol El Caracol, sometimes

referred to as “the

observatory,” was a

building the Maya of

Chichen Itza used to look out into the

heavens. It’s tall

enough that people

inside the building could see above the trees and brush to look at the skies with nothing

blocking their view, especially of Venus. El Caracol seems to be

designed so that many parts are carefully aligned with the motions

of Venus. Venus was an important planet to the Maya because it was considered the sun’s twin and a war god. Maya leaders would

use the changing position of Venus to plan the right time for raids

and battles. Many parts of the building are lined up to important

planetary or solar events that help the Maya track time.

“The Castle” Dominating Chichen Itza is the

huge pyramid named by

the Spanish, “el

Castillo” – the castle.

Each side of the pyramid has 91 steps

going up, 364 steps

total, with the top

platform adding the 365th for the year. The nine stages with stairs cutting through them represent the 18

Mayan months. Thus, the temple was

probably built to be a physical

representation of the Mayan calendar

and the top to be used for religious ceremonies like leaving offerings and

human sacrifices, as the gods were

important to the Maya. At the

bottom of the north pyramid stairs is a carving of a feathered serpent head

and at the winter solstice the

shadows would have created

the illusion of a serpent slithering down the stairs, as

if the god was leaving the

building. He would return at

the summer solstice. This

phenomenon is called the “Descent of Kukulcan.”

Chichen Itza Ball Court

The Great Ball Court at Chichen Itza (one of 13 ball courts in the city) is the largest in Mesoamerica. At 490+ feet long it’s

longer than a modern-day American football field. It is surrounded

by 27-foot walls. Each wall has a ring on it that is about 20 feet

off the ground, which is twice the height of a modern-day NBA

basketball net. The game would have been especially physically challenging in this court

since the walls are

totally vertical instead of

slanted like other Mayan courts. Not only would

this game have been

entertaining, but it also

served a ritual purpose, as the losing team’s

leader was probably

sacrificed to the gods.

The Temple of the Warriors

This temple got its name from the carved warrior and gift-bearer

columns on its two sides. Each of the 200 columns has a carved picture of a warrior on it, which would have all been painted. The

platform at the top has a statue of a Chac Mool (image below), a

messenger of the gods. Chac Mools were used to hold religious

offerings. It’s

possible that the flat surface of this statue

was where a

sacrifice’s heart was

placed to offer it to the gods while people

below watched.