The ruins of the ancient Mayan city are located in the south of Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. It is 3 kilometers long from north to south and 2 kilometers wide from east to west, with hundreds of buildings. It is the site of ancient Mayan culture and Toltec culture. "Chyi Chin" means "wellhead", and natural wells are the foundation of building a city. The existing highway divides it in half. In the south, old Chen Chi Itza was built in the 7th to10th century, with Mayan cultural characteristics. There are pyramid temples, column halls, stadiums, markets and astronomical observatories, mainly decorated with stone carvings. Itza, New Chen Chi, on the north side is a gray building with the characteristics of Toltec culture, including the Ku Kulkun Pyramid and the Temple of Warriors. , mainly decorated with simple lines, carved with quetzalcoatl.
Palenque is a site reflecting Mayan architectural art, which is located on a slope between the mountains in Chiapas, Mexico, reflecting the characteristics that the Mayans chose Canglin Mountain for settlement when building the city. According to the dated Mayan Monument found here, the history of this city can be traced back to 642 AD.
Among the buildings in palenque, the most striking thing is the "Inscription Temple" built on the pyramids. The pyramid is square, with * * * ten layers, and gradually decreases upward. The lowest floor has nine steps, and the rest have seven steps and seventy-two steps. "Inscription Temple" is built on the top platform of the pyramid. It has a flat roof and five doors. There are murals and reliefs in the corridor, and the four walls of the temple are carved inscriptions. Unfortunately, these Mayan hieroglyphs have not been deciphered so far, and no one knows the true meaning of these inscriptions so far. Almost all the buildings here have flat roofs or platforms. The steps of the pyramid symbolize the steps leading to the universe, which is a typical feature of Mayan architecture.
Although the pyramids in Mexico are similar in shape to those in Egypt, they are different. Most of the Mexican pyramids that have been discovered are altars for ancient Indian tribes to worship gods, not graves. However, the pyramids in palenque are an exception. It is the tomb of Bakar, the ruler of palenque in the 7th century BC. It is said that the pyramids were built shortly after Bakar was born. It lasted for decades and was built entirely of boulders. It was not built until Bakar died at the age of 76. So people are very interested in this. To enter this mausoleum, you must climb the pyramid, enter the temple of inscriptions, and then walk down the spiral stone steps to reach the mausoleum. According to the analysis of archaeologists, the tomb may have a main entrance, but because the pyramids are made of huge stones, they gave up looking for them because they didn't want to damage them during excavation. The flat top of the tomb is a false arch, all made of stone strips, seven meters high, nine meters long and four meters wide. There is a niche carved in the middle of the back wall of the tomb, and there is a relief warrior statue inside. There are three relief warrior statues on the left and right walls, and a sarcophagus is placed in the center of the front end of the tomb, which is about 1. 1 m high, 2.8 m long and 2 m wide. The inner wall of the coffin is embossed on all sides. The coffin cover is 27 cm thick and weighs 5 tons. The coffin lid and its surroundings are also covered with carved patterns. The center of the sarcophagus is cut down into a cave. Its front end is oval, and the cave is covered with red. Bakar lay on his back in the cave, wearing a green jade mask, and wearing jade necklaces, beads, rings and balls on his neck, chest, hands, wrists and feet. There is an emerald sun god statue in front of his left foot.
There is a palace in front of the pyramid on the right. In the middle of the palace is a big yard, which seems to be the place where the royal family watched sports games or performances at that time. There are all kinds of paintings and reliefs on the walls of the corridor, which have gone through 1000 years. Although their colors are dim, they are still recognizable, especially green. There is a steam room in the northeast corner of the back corridor. First, a huge stone was burned with fire, and then water was poured on it, releasing steam for the royal family to bathe in. In front of the palace, there is a five-story square tower. Around the palaces and towers, there are buildings similar to palaces. In front of the pyramid is a huge square, which is an important activity center of the city-state.
Chichen itza is a Mayan temple in ancient Greece and Rome. Its heyday was about 500 to 700 AD, which had a great influence on the whole Wusongbula River basin. Elegant architecture, superb technology and light carving all illustrate the myth of Maya and prove that they are the genius creators of this civilization.
What exactly is the Mayan ruins like?
Mayan ruins: the ruins of Copan, an ancient Mayan city, located about 225 kilometers northwest of Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, near the Guatemalan border. The site is located in a canyon with a length of 13 km and a width of 2.5 km, with an altitude of 600 meters and an area of about 15 hectares. It is surrounded by mountains and waters, with fertile land and dense forests. Copan is the oldest and largest ancient city site in Mayan civilization. There are pyramids, squares, temples, sculptures, stone tablets and hieroglyphics on the square, which is a very important archaeological area. It attracts many foreign scholars to do archaeological research here, and it is also one of the important tourist attractions in Honduras. Michelle _6_ 1 Haggis crystal skull is undoubtedly the most famous crystal skull, but some crystal skulls have been found (or made public, depending on whether you believe those legends. Most of them are not as legendary as Michele _6_ 1 Haggis crystal skull, but each one has its own uniqueness. Tikal Maya site is the largest abandoned city in Mayan civilization. It is located in the province of Peté n, Guatemala. The most famous Mayan ruins in Mexico are all in the south of Mexico. They are Barents, Asilan, Toulon and Chen Chi Itza. The most fascinating of them are Barenkay and Toulon. Crystal skull: The crystal skull of the British Museum was found about the same time as that of Michele _6_ 1 Haggis. 1936, G.M. Morant combined it with Michele _6_ 1 Haggis crystal skull (the owner at that time was Sydney _6_ 1 Bernie. Although it is about the size of a human skull, the crystal skull of the British Museum is not so real in details. Its two eye sockets are round and not separated. It is also made in time. Morant thought that the crystal skull was not made independently, but he couldn't produce any evidence. 1898, the British Museum bought this skull from Tiffany Company. It is said that it was found in Mexico. French art dealer Eugene _6_ 1 Bo Ban bought the skull and sold it to the Tiffany family. 1990, the British Museum held an exhibition called "Fake? The art of deception. " This is one of the exhibits. The British Museum also has a smaller and rougher crystal skull-Aztec crystal skull. Paris crystal skull is kept in the Museum of Anthropology in Paris. Its manufacturing process is much rougher than the crystal skull of the British Museum. There is a hole in the top of the crystal skull, which is said to be inserted into the cross. The Paris crystal skull weighs about 2.7kg, is 1 1 cm high and15cm long, which is only half the size of Michelle _6_ 1 Haggis crystal skull and that of the British Museum. Presumably, this skull also belongs to Aztec civilization. 1878, AlphonsePinart bought this skull from Eugene _6_ 1 Bo Ban and donated it to the museum. The museum also collects a crystal skull about 3.8 cm long. 1992, the Smithsonian National Museum of History received a parcel containing a crystal skull. This skull weighs about 13kg, is about 23cm high and 20cm long, and its size is larger than that of a normal human skull. An anonymous record shows that this skull is an "Aztec crystal skull", which was "/kloc-0 bought in Mexico City in 1960". It is made of ivory crystal, which is rougher than other crystal skulls. Mayan Altar: Maya and Indians in the whole New World have a history of offering sacrifices to the living. For the ancient Mayans, sacrificial activities were far more important than breathing air. Among them, the complicated etiquette, complicated sacrifices and vast scenes form an incredible contrast with their poor materials. They think that the sun is going to be destroyed, and we must make some self-sacrifice to keep the sun shining and prevent it from dying. Their understanding led to feeding the sun with human heart and blood. The Mayans were proud to be used as sacrifices, and the hearts of slave owners and slaves were dug out and dedicated to the sun, so more and more people died for it. It is said that in the16th century, the Spanish found 13600 skulls on the skeleton of the sacrificial head! At that time, in order to celebrate the completion of the Great Pyramid of Trautian, during the four-day sacrifice, the slave owners actually killed 360,000 people! There are many ways of human sacrifice, the most common one is to cut the chest and dig the heart. As a victim, he was first painted blue and wore a pointed headdress, and then died in the square in front of the temple or at the top of the pyramid. He lay on his back, with a raised altar sacrifice under him, which made his chest and abdomen bulge and his head and limbs droop, so as to facilitate the "operation" of thoracotomy. Four priests grabbed his limbs and tried to straighten him. The "executioner" is the protagonist of the sacrificial ceremony. He accurately cut the victim's left chest rib, put his hand in from the wound, grabbed the beating heart and put it on a plate, and gave it to the high priest who presided over the ceremony. The latter skillfully painted blood from the heart on the idols of the gods. If the ceremony is held at the top of the pyramid, the victim's body will be kicked off and rolled from the steps to the foot of the pyramid. The low-ranking priests skinned the body, leaving only hands and feet. The high priest who presided over the sacrifice solemnly took off his robe, got into the bloody skin and danced solemnly with the onlookers. If the slain sacrifice happens to be a brave warrior before his death, his body will be chopped up and shared with nobles and the masses, and his hands and feet will be enjoyed by priests. If the victim of sacrifice is a prisoner, some of his bones will be left by his captors to commemorate his exploits. Women and children are often sacrificed. This deadly way is not the most popular. The usual practice is to donate blood. They use stone knives or sharp things such as animal bones, shells and thorns to bleed. The cut parts are all over the body and vary from person to person, sometimes forehead, nose, lips, ears, sometimes neck, chest, arms, thighs, calves, until the instep, and even genitals are cut and bleeding. On the beautifully carved lintel of Yachilan site, a woman is pulling a rope that pierces her tongue, and blood drops on the bark paper on the plate beside her. This damn bark paper will be dedicated to the gods. Now preserved in a pottery bottle in the University of Pennsylvania Museum, there is a row of squatting men, each holding an elite weapon and stabbing his penis. In addition to blood sacrifices, the Mayans also vented their thirst for blood in other ways. Slaughter prisoners of war in cold blood This bloody scene is faithfully recorded in the frescoes of Bonan Park. The murals are all made in a simple three halls, and the murals in the three halls echo each other: the left hall shows the preparations for the ceremony, with the mood of relaxation and expectation as the main theme; The central hall is a fierce scene to conquer the enemy and slaughter prisoners of war, emphasizing the life theme of great changes in life and death, joys and sorrows; The right hall shows that the celebration is over and it is more solemn in a warm and cheerful atmosphere. Therefore, this temple was named "Painting Temple". Among them, the depiction of murals in the central hall is particularly shocking. The bottom column of the picture is the Benbang people who came to watch and celebrate the bloody trial with guns and spears and various ethnic emblems, and the middle column is the prisoners who are dying and waiting for execution. On the top steps of the mural, the king is graceful and domineering, with a spear in his right hand and a tiger skin armor, which is extremely majestic; Opposite him, four nobles stood in a row on the left, wearing all kinds of grotesque animal helmets symbolizing tribal totems, tiger skin shirts and clothes embroidered with hieroglyphs, and covered with Yu Pei, jade ornaments and feather handicrafts. The condemned man who was about to be executed under the steps was naked, kneeling before the king and crying for mercy. At their feet, there was a severed head, and another prisoner was paralyzed and fainted on the steps. The pain and despair of the condemned man are in sharp contrast with the arrogance of the prince. Its shape is accurate, vivid and touching, which shows the profound skill of Mayan realistic art.
In which country are the ancient Mayan cultures and sites now? Kneel and beg
Maya culture was born in the 2nd century BC and entered the so-called ancient Maya era around 250 BC. Its central area extends from Guatemala Plateau, Mexico City, El Salvador and Honduras to the vast plain of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.
Important sites of Mayan culture include Teotiva in the middle of Mexican Plateau, Coban in the Uuxinta Valley at the southern end of Yucatan Peninsula, and Smal in the northern part of Yucatan Peninsula. They belong to the ruins of the slave city-states in the classical period, the early period and the late period respectively.
The most famous Mayan ruins in Mexico are all in the south of Mexico. They are: palenque, Jaksi Land, Thuram and chichen itza. The most fascinating of them are Barenkay and Toulon.
Where is the largest and oldest Mayan site in the world? When did you find it?
On the American continent, there are three civilizations that are independent of the whole world and have created their own cultures. After the arrival of the western colonists, they gradually became extinct, leaving only some mysterious legends for future generations to daydream infinitely. These three civilizations are the Inca civilization, Aztec civilization and Mayan civilization that we are most familiar with today.
Mayan civilization is full of mystery, and the so-called Mayan prophecy makes people all over the world full of curiosity. Even if someone refutes the Mayan prophecy, the Maya's unique lifestyle and distinctive civilization form are still worthy of our yearning and study. Recently, the largest and oldest Mayan ruins have reappeared, which gives us a new understanding of this mysterious nation.
The site is located in Agua da Phoenix, Tabasco, south of the Gulf of Mexico. It is reported that this site belongs to a place of worship of the Mayans. Its long history has forced archaeologists to re-examine the history of Mayan civilization and gain a new understanding of its architectural technology development.
Before Aguada Phoenix Site, it was thought that the oldest sacrificial site of Mayan civilization was Sebal Site, which was about 950 BC.
(Caption: Ceibal website)
The construction time of Aguada Phoenix site is similar to that of Ceibal site. Archaeologists' appraisal results show that it was built between 1000 BC and 800 BC, when China was still in the early Western Zhou Dynasty. However, its huge scale and scope make it stand out among all Mayan ruins. According to the measurement, its maximum length reaches 1400 meters (about 4,600 feet, which is almost three times as long as the bus stop. In contrast, the north-south length of the Forbidden City in Beijing is only 96 1 meter.
The research team led by TakeshiInomata, an archaeologist at the University of Arizona in the United States, recently published the latest research results in the journal Nature. They pointed out in the paper: "As far as we know, this is the oldest memorial building ever discovered in the Mayan region and the largest building in the region before Hispanic history."
(Description: The researchers used lidar to draw 3D images of Aguada Phoenix Site.
What is even more surprising is that this site is not buried deep underground or hidden in dense jungle, but has always been near human sight. For centuries, this magnificent and amazing architectural site seems to never hide itself, but strangely, it has never been noticed by Mexicans.
You Zhu pointed out: "This area has developed. This is not a jungle. People have settled here. However, this site has never been discovered, because it is too huge and very flat, and people generally think that this is just a natural landscape. " In this way, we should be glad that the local people have not destroyed it, because they regard it as a natural environment, otherwise we may never know its existence.
Even though the Aguada Phoenix site is low-key enough to escape human eyes, it is still exposed to the keen perspective of human equipment. When lidar surveyed from high altitude, it found a platform with a length of 14 13 meters from north to south and a width of 399 meters from east to west, which was 15 meters higher than the surrounding area, which immediately attracted the attention of archaeologists. They immediately conducted an in-depth investigation, and finally restored the identity of this website, and got the attention of the world.
The researchers pointed out in the paper: "This artificial platform is a horizontal monument, in sharp contrast to the vertical building of the pyramid. The layout of Aguada Phoenix Site shows that it is a classic representative of the model of Ussuri Maxinta in the middle pre-classicism, which is characterized by rows of low mounds forming a rectangle. "
Nine spacious causeways extend from this platform, and there are all kinds of small buildings around these causeways, including Wusu Masin tower building and artificial reservoirs during the Mayan prosperity.
(Caption: Aerial view of Aguada Phoenix Site.
It is reported that there are some similarities between Aguada Phoenix Site and Olmec Site in Sanlorenzo and Ravento, but archaeologists have not found any humanoid sculptures here. Despite the lack of archaeological data, the research team found some information from it. "Unlike Olmec Civilization Center, Aguada Phoenix has no obvious signs of social inequality, such as statues that some high-ranking people deserve."
As we know, Olmec civilization has always been called the mother of Indian civilization, and many archaeologists have always believed that Mayan civilization was deeply influenced by Olmec civilization, and may even be born out of it. This time, finding the difference between them may help us to re-understand their relationship. In fact, the Ceibal website we just mentioned has hinted at similar information. At present, some people think that Mayan civilization is definitely not only a descendant of Olmec civilization, but also a mixture of many civilizations.
Interestingly, the Aguada Phoenix Site is not completely without sculptures. At present, archaeologists have really found one. However, this stone carving depicts not a person, but an animal.
In fact, any civilization will experience a history of animal worship in the early stage of development. How a civilization recognizes and respects animals may also imply what kind of culture they have and what kind of history they have experienced.
For us, Mayan civilization still hides many unsolved mysteries. Where did they come from? How did it disappear? What's the secret in the crystal skull? What is their living standard?
Perhaps the answers to some of these questions are hidden in the ruins of Aguada Phoenix. At present, archaeologists are still conducting in-depth archaeological research, and I believe there will be more news about the Mayans in the future.
In which country is the world-famous "Mayan ruins"?
Located in the middle of Yucatan Peninsula, the Mayan city-state site is the largest and most prosperous city-state of the ancient Mayan Empire, which was founded in 5 14 AD. ChichenItza Maya (Chichenitza city-state ruins) was once the largest and most prosperous city-state in the ancient Mayan empire. Mayan ruins are one of the most important areas of Mayan civilization, with magnificent buildings and rich hieroglyphics. They are examples of very few civilizations that originated in tropical jungles. These buildings show that the Mayans in Copan have a highly developed economy and culture.
Important sites of Mayan culture include Teotiva in the middle of Mexican Plateau, Coban in the Uuxinta Valley at the southern end of Yucatan Peninsula, and Smal in the northern part of Yucatan Peninsula. They belong to the ruins of the slave city-states in the classical period, the early period and the late period respectively.
The most famous Mayan ruins in Mexico are all in the south of Mexico. They are: palenque, Jaksi Land, Thuram and chichen itza. The most fascinating of them are Barenkay and Toulon.