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 Maya Compendia
HOW TO BUILD A PYRAMID (extracts from my book)
The
Pyramids, their construction, their interior and their purpose
 The
Maya used tools made of obsidian and flint, instead of hard metals
which were used in the Old World (such as iron, copper and bronze).
The Maya building methods used plaster, stone and
wood. The plaster was normally made of lime, calcareous or chalky
sand and water, although other techniques called for plant resins (chicozapote
and breadnut or ramon trees). Calcareous sand was burned to obtain
the lime. Stones of regular size and shape, square and rectangular,
were used on the exterior of the building and irregular ones on the
inside.
Rather than the normal arch, a ‘false’ Maya arch
was used. The ceilings of buildings were built with columns and
pillars and ventilation holes were used instead of windows. Although
small, Maya buildings always had a platform.
The only archaeological evidence to date shows the use of curtains
but none to prove the use of doors. This book does not speak of
‘doors’, but rather, refers to them as ‘entrances’.
The first pyramid was covered with another larger one at a later
date, and so on. Hence, we can often see pyramids on top of other
pyramids.
The tunnels, which connect with the earliest
pyramids, which are at the heart of the building, are usually
sealed. Recently, though, some were reopened to the public by
archaeologists. It is believed that the open tunnels were used in
rituals associated with the Underworld. These may have included
magic-religious initiation rites.
Note: some authors mention ‘shamanic’ initiation ceremonies, which
is a widely accepted generalisation. ‘Shamanic’ and
‘Magic-Religious’ initiation rites are synonymous. This book prefers
to
use the term ‘magic-religious’ initiations. It is understood that
the shaman is an individual who is skilled in these arts.
Priests usually climbed the pyramids in order to
preside over religious ceremonies. The villagers or townspeople
watched the ceremony in the square, which was located either around
or in front of the pyramid. The women who participated in the
ceremonies were those who had already gone
 through
the menopause. Religious ceremonies included theatrical
presentations, offerings, human sacrifice, hymns, self-sacrifice,
dances and ritual cannibalism. The Maya did not feel the need to
build large
covered buildings. The climate was ideal for open-air ceremonies.
The pyramids are not located in the centre of the
world, rather they are the centre itself. Axis Mundi, or the centre
of the world, is a sacred place where the divine forces of the
heavens and the underworld converge.
Comparison of the Maya and Egyptian Pyramids
Th e
Egyptian pyramids are true pyramids, whereas the Maya pyramids are
false, as they are formed by individual platforms built one on top
of the other.
In contrast to Egyptian pyramids, Maya pyr amids
have an upper temple (athough you do not always see it, because many
of them have been destroyed).
Although the Maya pyramids contain human remains,
they are not necessarily tombs (with the exception of the Temple of
Inscriptions, in Palenque, Chiapas). The Maya regarded human remains
as heirlooms of their ancestors.
Maya pyramids can have square, rectangular or oval bases. The
corners are generally rounded or concave.
 The
basic idea of the pyramid comes from a primitive version of a house,
which usually includes a platform on which the house is built to
prevent it from flooding and a burial space within the platform
(perhaps they believed that the spirit of the deceased protected the
household).
The steps are generally tall and narrow to give a
more vertical effect to the building, and make it more impressive.
On other constructions, the steps are so tall and narrow that men
cannot climb them, the visual effect represents the ascent of the
gods.
The author was born in
Poza Rica, Veracruz, Mexico in 1968. He is actually working as a
tour guide and lives in Cancún. Among his many and different
activities: he owns a website for
hotel reservations in Cancun,
edits a cultural monthly
magazine and his own books.
ph:
+52 (998) 112 1003 (Nextel) CD 62*15*66939
jahg1968@gmail.com
info@cancunideas.com |
