Maya pyramids facts for kids
The Maya were an amazing ancient people. They lived in southern Mexico and northern Central America. This area includes countries like Guatemala, Belize, western Honduras, and El Salvador.
Around 3,000 years ago, the Maya started building impressive structures. These included ceremonial plazas and pyramids. The first ones were simple burial mounds. Over time, these grew into the spectacular stepped pyramids we see today.
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Maya Pyramids: Ancient Wonders
The Maya pyramids are incredible buildings. The ancient Maya built them in the jungles of Central America. Most were constructed between 200 and 900 AD. Unlike the Egyptian pyramids, Maya pyramids have stepped sides. This design often allowed people to climb to the top. Egyptian pyramids usually have sharp tips. Maya pyramids, however, tend to have flatter tops. These flat tops were perfect for special ceremonies. They also held temples dedicated to their gods.
What Were Maya Pyramids Used For?
Maya pyramids had many important uses. They were central to religious ceremonies. People would gather there to honor their gods. The pyramids also served as giant landmarks. In the dense jungle, these tall structures could be seen above the trees. This helped people navigate and find their way. Finally, some pyramids were burial places. Important leaders and officials were laid to rest inside them. This is similar to how some Egyptian pyramids were used.
How Were Maya Pyramids Built?
These pyramids were built using carefully carved stones. The stones were arranged to create the unique stair-stepped design. Many pyramids had a flat platform at the very top. A smaller building, often a temple, was constructed on this platform. These temples were usually dedicated to a specific Maya god. Maya pyramids come in many different shapes and sizes. Their design often changed depending on the region and the time period they were built.
Where Can You Find Maya Pyramids?
Many ancient Maya cities have pyramids. Here are some of the most famous sites:
- Aguateca
- Altun Ha
- Bonampak
- Calakmul
- Caracol
- Chichen Itza
- Cholula
- Coba
- Comalcalco
- Copan
- Dos Pilas
- Edzna
- El Mirador
- El Tigre
- La Danta
- Kaminaljuyu
- Lamanai
- Los Monos
- Lubaantun
- Mayapan
- Mixco Viejo
- Moral Reforma
- Nim Li Punit
- Palenque: Temple of the Inscriptions
- San Andrés, El Salvador
- Tazumal
- Tikal: Tikal Temple I; Tikal Temple II; Tikal Temple III; Tikal Temple IV; Tikal Temple V; Lost World Pyramid; Talud-Tablero Temple
- Tonina
- Uxmal
- Yaxchilan
- Yaxha
- Xunantunich
Tikal: A City of Giants
One of the most impressive places to see Maya pyramids is at Tikal. This was a huge ancient Maya city. The pyramids at Tikal were the tallest buildings in all of the Americas for about 1,000 years! They held this record until 1903, when the Flatiron Building was built in New York City. Today, Tikal is a national park in Guatemala. It has a total of sixteen pyramids. Tikal was one of the largest cities of the ancient Maya. It might have had as many as 90,000 people living there. This is amazing because the area was quite swampy. The pyramids at Tikal are built to face each other. The rooms at the top of the pyramids have special walls. These walls make sounds louder and send them in all directions. Because of this, a person speaking normally on top of one pyramid can be heard clearly by someone on another pyramid far away! The name Tikal comes from ti ak'al, which means "water hole."
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