Mayan Acropolis
The term Mayan Acropolis (Spanish spelling: acrópolis ) refers to the higher parts of a Mayan city that were used exclusively by members of the upper class. They can be on natural or man-made elevations and feature both temples and palaces. This form of urban subdivision is almost unknown to other Mesoamerican cultures (possible exceptions Monte Alban and Xochicalco ).
history
While elevated urban areas are often to be found in the late Mayan rainforest cities, their significance is largely lost in the post-classical period, which is increasingly settling in the bush forests of northern Yucatán . They no longer occur in the late Mayan sites in the north of the Yucatán peninsula (e.g. Chichen Itza ) and in the Guatemalan highlands ( Iximché , Q'umarkaj , Zaculeu , Mixco Viejo ).
Examples
Examples of an upper city ( acrópolis ) can be found in many classic Mayan cities, but the two acropolis of Tikal in today's Guatemala deserve special mention - here the north acropolis was crowned by temples, whereas the south acropolis was reserved for the residential buildings ( palacios ) of the upper class. The huge acropolis of Edzná and Ek Balam or the complex complexes of Toniná , Copán , Yaxchilán and Itzamkanac are also important examples. With a height of 45 m, the acropolis of Nakbé is one of the highest in the Maya culture.
literature
- Nikolai Grube (ed.): Maya, god kings in the rainforest. Potsdam 2012, ISBN 978-3-8480-0033-3 , p. 428
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Grube (lit.) p. 52.