AncientWorldWonders

Mexicans are convinced that there are three main characters of their country: sombrero, magnificent beaches and, of course, the famous Mayan pyramids.

It’s impressive to observe that after so many years, the pyramid still stands carefully guarded and treasured. In the middle ages, pyramids were even hidden from the Spaniards that the invaders didn’t tear down buildings and carried off the treasures stored inside. Enigmatic Mayan history is full of unsolved mysteries. It is obvious that thousands of tourists each year travel to the jungle to see the mysterious abandoned cities. Unfortunately, little is left out of the most ancient cities, but the pyramids, being built a little later, survived surprisingly well.

The main attraction of the visitors is the 25-meter pyramid (or palace) Kukulkan.Pyramid of Kukulkan (El Castillo) consists of 9 platforms. The entire perimeter is surrounded by stairs. The numbers of the stages from each side are 91 – a total of 364, their number equals the number of days per year. Extensive steep stairs are divided into 18 bays, each of which corresponds to month of the year – in the Mayan calendar was exactly 18 months. Now the stairs are not in very good condition, and climbing on them is quite dangerous.The pyramid is located geographically very precisely 4 side looking due south, north, east and west. On the sides of the pyramid – 9 terraces, one for each region of the kingdom of the dead.

Thus, you are allowed to broaden your imagination and think of the Maya underworld – the place where they would go after death. On the north side of the pyramid, at the base of the stairs, are two snake heads, there are two columns in the form of huge reptiles. Snakes are not in vain: the pyramid was built in honor of a deity or Kulkana Mayan feathered serpent.

In the city there is a pyramid, behind the temple of warriors. It consists of four levels, and the base has a size of 40 to 40 meters. Not far from the pyramid is a unique natural well. Being almost round, it reaches 60 meters in diameter and 20 deep. It can be said that the Maya revered as a sacred place. Its blue-green waters were thrown by Mayan priests victims to appease the gods. So that is why it is called the Well of Death.

The second most popular Mayan pyramid is in Guatemala. Its peculiarity is that it is all painted with a huge number of kanji and mysterious figures. More than two hundred years, scientists needed to decipher, but the writing is still not solved. Someone sees them as a description of historical and political events in the city, but others interpret them as the dire predictions. For example, one of the characters means: “And there will be piles of skulls and rivers of blood” – According to first version, it depicts a long war, which involved the Maya, but according to opinion of others – it is nothing but a warning of the coming Armageddon.
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Palenque is an ancient Mayan city, which is also called the capital of the ancient culture. The pyramid of inscriptions islocated there. This is the only pyramid of the Maya, on top of which was found something like a sarcophagus, and in it – the remains of men, apparently of noble birth. Prior to that, it was thought that the Mayan pyramids were used exclusively for the sacrifice. In 1949, the restorers discovered the secret hatch in the floor through which one could penetrate deep into the pyramid. At the bottom was found a burial chamber, where the remains of people who once sacrificed, and the stone sarcophagus, covered with a five-ton cap. Erich von Daniken, who devoted his life to search for traces of ancient human contact with aliens, said that the ancient Indians depicted on it, no more, no less – the person controlling the spacecraft.

On the Yucatan Peninsula, one can find the remains of the city -Uxmal. This settlement has about 600 – 100 years of our era. Around 1400, it was abandoned and neglected. Uxmal is famous for two temples, pyramids. The most famous – Pyramid of the Sorcerer. The second pyramid of the city, in fact, consists of two, which are combined with each other.

Unfortunately, the exact date of construction of the pyramids is not known. It is believed that they were about 3000 years. Pyramids were built a long time. All of them have stepped slopes. In turn erected a platform, and eventually the pyramid grew.

The construction of the pyramids is associated with ancient legends. Thus, according to one of these stories, the pyramid at Uxmal, erected in one night with magical powers dwarf sorcerer, who then also appointed himself ruler of the city. That is the reason why this building was named Magician Pyramid.

It still stays mysterious how this pyramids emerged during that ancient period without proper level of civilization. It is believed that Mayans lived thousands of years ago but had modern standards, primitive and superficial knowledge of the invention. So or not, we all see the perfect example of it in reality.