Maya Art - Architecture

Architecture

The lay-out of the Maya towns and cities, and more particularly of the ceremonial centers where the royal families and courtiers resided, is characterized by the rhythm of immense horizontal stucco floors of plazas often located at various levels, connected by broad and often steep stairs, and surmounted by temple pyramids. Outside the ceremonial center (especially in the southern area sometimes resembling an acropolis) were the structures of lesser nobles, smaller temples, and individual shrines, surrounded by the wards of the commoners. Dam-like causeways (sacbeob) spread from the 'ceremonial centers' to other nuclei of habitation. Under successive reigns, the main buildings were enlarged by adding new layers of fill and stucco coating. Fitting in with the concept of a 'theatre state', more attention appears to have been given to aesthetics than to utilitarian functionality and solidity of construction. Careful attention, however, was placed on directional orientation.

Among the various types of structures should be mentioned:

• Ceremonial platforms (usually less than 4 meters in height).
• Courtyards and palaces.
• Other residential buildings, such as a writers' house and a possible council house in Copan.
• Steep pyramids, often containing burials in their base or fill, with sanctuaries on top. The outstanding example are the many clustered dynastic burial temples of Tikal's North Acropolis.
• Ball courts.

Among the structural ensembles are:

• So-called 'E-groups' consisting of a square platform with a low four-stepped pyramid on the west side and an elongated structure, or, alternatively, three small structures, on the eastern side;
• So-called 'twin pyramid complexes', with identical four-stepped pyramids on the east and west sides of a small plaza; a building with nine doorways on the south side; and a small enclosure on the north side housing a sculpted stela with its altar and commemorating the king's performance of a k'atun-ending ceremony.

In the palaces and temple rooms, the 'corbelled vault' was often applied. Though not an effective tool to increase interior space, as it required thick stone walls to support the high ceiling, some temples utilized repeated arches, or a corbelled vault, to construct an inner sanctuary, such as that of the Temple of the Cross at Palenque.

The Classic Puuc, Chenes and Rio Bec architecture of Yucatán is characterised by the geometrical reduction of realistic decoration, the stacking of rain god snouts to build facades, and the use of portals shaped like serpent mouths; the Rio Bec style includes the use of solid pseudo temple-pyramids.