Many cultures flourished in Mesoamerica before the arrival of the Europeans in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. In this activity, we will look in detail at the Maya ruins of Chichan Itza, and somewhat less in detail at Palenque and Uxmal; we shall then explore briefly the ruins of Teotihuacan and Monte Alban. Although the Europeans described the Americas as a "New World," clearly there were advanced civilizations here which dated back thousands of years before the arrival of the Spanish. As you journey through the ruins below, try to determine some of the more interesting religious and social customs practices at these sites. What do these complexes suggest about the level of organization of these societies? What level of power would you guess that the monarch of these locations possessed?
The Maya
The Maya of Mesoamerica were the heirs of Olmec culture. The word "Maya" is derived from the word "Zamna" a Maya god. The Maya civilization flourished on the Yucatan peninsula, and was based on agriculture. The Maya grew maize, chili peppers, beans, squash, and a variety of fruit. The textile arts were an important part of Maya trade, and their cotton was exported throughout the region. There may once have been 14 million inhabitants in the Maya cities on the Yucatan peninsula. The largest city was Tikal, which may have had a population of 100,000. Through the links below, you may explore some of the most famous ruins of the Maya.
Chichan Itza
Chichan Itza was one of the last Maya center to be abandoned. Even after Tikal and Palenque had been deserted and overgrown by the jungle, Chichan Itza continued to flourish. One reason Chichan Itza is so well-preserved is that it became a Toltec center after the decline of the Maya. Images of the Maya god Kukulcan or the "feathered serpent" are omnipresent in Chichan Itza and other Maya sites; the Toltec identified the "feathered serpent" here with the god Quetzalcoatl, worshipped at Teotihuacan. The Toltec Quetzalcoatl came here after being ousted by the Toltec god Tezcatlipoca. Chichan Itza, then, appealed to the Toltec as a ceremonial center. The name "Chichan Itza" means "mouth of the Itzas' well" or "at the edge of the well of the water sorcerers." The Itzas were the group of Maya who settled here. In this part of the Yucatan, there is little rainfall and no sources of water on the surface; cenotes, or places where the limestone has collapsed exposing underground water, were very important. Consequently, the cult of Chaac, god of rain and waters, was important here.
The Maya built their cities around a central ceremonial pyramid and other buildings, with a sacred ball court nearby. The Pyramid of Kukulcan or El Castillo at Chichan Itza is a nine story structure symbolizing the planes of the underworld with a temple on top. There is a stair case of 91 steps on each of the four sides of the structure, and another pyramid on the inside of the structure. At 3:00 P.M. on the spring and fall equinoxes (March 20 and September 21), the sun forms seven isosceles triangles on the north staircase which look like an undulating serpent resembling the carvings on the staircases. This symbolizes the descent of the god Kukulcan to earth and hence, the beginning of the agricultural cycle.
The Ball Court measures 168 by 70 meters, and is one of the largest courts of the Maya ruins. The game played on the ball court near the pyramid had deep religious significance for the Maya. Although the ritual practiced here is not fully understood, the players bounced a large ball back and forth using their hips. The game was dangerous, and the balls were thrown with such force that players had to wear protective padding. The court had metal rings on the walls through which the combatants attempted to drive the ball. The ball court is believed to have represented the cosmos, while the ball represented the sun. The game symbolized the conflict between light and darkness. The losers were sacrificed to the gods after the games.
The Temple of the Jaguars adjacent to the Ball Court
The temple is decorated with two feathered serpents whose tails are entwined; there are jaguars in between them, from which the temple gets its name. There are also numerous small buildings and platforms near the temple, including the rectangular platform known as the wall of skulls.
The structure you see here was built over the remains of an earlier temple. Its base is 40 meters long and 12 meters high. It is decorated with jaguars and eagles devouring human hearts. The staircase is decorated with the feathered serpent, Quetzalcoatl. There are several statues of warriors to serve as standard bearers. There is a statue here of Chaac Mool reclining between two columns shaped like the feathered serpent. Chaac Mool has his head to one side and holds a vessel; he serves as the messenger of the gods to humans here. The temple is also famous for its thousand columns group.
The Maya and later the Toltec used this building for astronomical purposes. It was built between 900-1000 C.E. The movements of the heavens were very important for the Maya and later the Toltec. The Maya developed their sophisticated solar calendar of 365 days through observing the heavens at structures such as this. The solar calendar was divided into 18 months with 20 days each, with five additional empty days. There was also a ritual calendar that governed the lives of humans and deities. The Maya made very sophisticated observations, and calculates the solar, lunar, and Venusian cycles, eclipses of the sun, and the movements of constellations. The cylindrical observatory tower known as the snail of El Caracol has a small room from which the Maya observed the heavens.
The Nunnery Complex at Chichan Itza is the largest structure at Chichan Itza dating from the Classic period. It has many small rooms, and is thought to have been used by priestesses in the Maya rituals. For these reasons, Spanish explorers gave it its modern name. You will explore the Nunnery Complex at Uxmal further on in this virtual tour.
Palenque
Palenque is another important city of the Maya, associated with the ruler Pacal.
The Palace There are fifteen structures on the palace platform
Close-up view of the tomb of Pacal
The Group of the Cross The Group of the Cross is a group of three temples, including the Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Foliated Cross, and the Temple of the Cross. Pacal's son Chan-Bahlum built the group to commemorate his coronation.
The Temple of the Inscriptions
This temple is the highest temple in the complex at 75 feet above ground level. It was built to house the tomb of Pacal, the ruler responsible for many of the buildings at Palenque. His sarchophogus weighs five tons, and several sacrificial victims were placed outside of it.
From these images you can get a sense of the grandeur of Palenque; for more detailed information, you may want to explore Virtual Palenque, a WWW site with panoramic walk-throughs of the entire site. You will need the plug-in for quicktime VR to fully enjoy this site.
Uxmal
"Uxmal" means "thrice occupied." Its most famous ruin is the Nunnery Quadrangal, and it also contains the Governor's Palace, the Great Pyramid, and the Pyramid of the Magician. Like other Maya cities, it had a Ball Court.
The Decline of the Maya
The Maya reached their peak from 500-800 C.E. but began to abandon their cities between 800-1000 C.E. The reasons for this are unknown, but scholars have suggested that foreign invasions, civil unrest due to disease, overpopulation, and crop failures, administrative problems caused by an overly large empire, or natural disaster might have prompted the decline of the Maya. Although the civilization of the Maya who built the ruins above collapsed, over two million Maya continue to survive today in the Yucatan peninsula. If you would like to further explore the ruins of Maya centers, you might want to go to MayaRuins.com, which contains nice photographic tours of many of these site but with little accompanying text.
Teotihuacan
Teotihuacan arose as a major center of Mesoamerican civilization around 300 B.C.E. and flourished until 700-800 C.E. It was located around thirty miles northeast of modern Mexico City and had a population of around 150,000 people. The city contained more than 5,000 ceremonial structures, and was laid out on a north-south and east-west axis. The Pyramid of the Sun dominated the city. It had four levels and was over 200 feet high. Each side is 700 feet long. Images of Quetzalcoatl abound on the ruins.
Another view of the "plumed serpent."
The stairs leading to the Pyramid of the Sun
Monte Alban
Sometime around 500 B.C.E., the Zapotec people began to build much larger cities and monumental structures at Monte Alban. The structures at Monte Alban are built on a stone terrace on a 1,200 foot high mountain overlooking modern Oaxaca. Approximately 20,000 people lived here on terraces for farming carved into the mountainsides. Monte Alban fell to invaders somewhere around 700 C.E., having flourished for over 1200 years in Mesoamerica. Teotihuacan was clearly the most powerful influence on the architecture and culture of Monte Alban.
Overview of site at Monte Alban
Ball Court site at Monte Alban
The Observatory at Monte Alban
For further information on Teotihuacan, you may want to explore the WWW site on the Archaeology of Teotihuacan, Mexico. You will find some quicktime movies here of the major ruins in Teotihuacan, complete with audio lectures.
For further exploration, viewers may want to consult the following WWW sites:
Ancient Mesoamerican Civilizations
For further information regarding these materials, contact the author via e-mail:
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or by snail mail at:
Dr.
Deborah Vess
Director of Interdisciplinary
Studies
and Associate Professor of History
Georgia College & State University
CBX 048
Milledgeville, Georgia 31061-0490