Image: Cyark Tikal Temple II 3D

Description: Photo-textured 3D laser scan elevation of Temple II, showing measurements and dimensions for this Step pyramid. The eighth-century Tikal king Jasaw Chan K'awiil I commissioned Temples I and II during his reign. Temple II is dedicated to his wife, Lady Twelve Macaw (died 704 A.D.), and she is interred within it. In contrast to Egyptian pyramids, to which they are often erroneously compared, Maya "Step pyramids", as with Mesoamerican pyramids in general, served numerous functions besides mortuary ones, and were constructed not from large, solid stone blocks but from smaller, cut stone blocks on top of a rubble-fill core. Additionally, many Maya Temples such as Temple II are not mathematically pyramidal - the base angles vary, as one side was built at a less severe slope to allow for a usable staircase. Such "pyramids" are thought to emulate the shape of mountains and volcanoes, a common pattern found across ancient Mesoamerica.
Title: Cyark Tikal Temple II 3D
Credit: CyArk
Author: CyArk
Permission: Creative Commons image, freely usable for any purpose with source site attribution (www.cyark.org)
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
License: CC BY-SA 3.0
License Link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
Attribution Required?: Yes