Adivino pyramid
The Adivino pyramid (also: pyramid of the fortune teller , pyramid of the magician , pyramid of the dwarf ) is a Mesoamerican step pyramid in the ancient pre-Columbian ruined city of Uxmal , Mexico . The pyramid is the largest and most striking structure in Uxmal.
description
The Adivino Pyramid is the main structure of the Maya ruin complex of Uxmal in the hill country in the southwest of Yucatán . Like other places in the Puuc region, the heyday of Uxmal was between AD 600 and 1,000, with the most important buildings being built between AD 700 and 1,000. At that time around 25,000 people lived here. The name Uxmal means "built three times" in the local Maya language and refers to the many layers in the construction of the most important structures.
Uxmal is since 1996 UNESCO - World Heritage . The ruins of the ceremonial buildings are considered to be the pinnacle of late Mayan art and architecture in terms of design, arrangement and ornamentation .
The Adivino pyramid dominates the center of the complex and is located at the tourist entrance to the central courtyard. It was located on the east side of the city - its west side overlooks the nuns quadrangle ( Cuadrangulo de las Monjas ) and is designed so that the West staircase on the sunset at the summer solstice is aligned.
The construction of the first pyramid temple began in the 6th century AD. Over the next 400 years the structure was expanded again and again. The pyramid fell into disrepair after 1000 AD and was sacked during the Spanish conquest of Yucatán.
The first detailed account of the rediscovery of the ruins of Uxmal was published in 1838 by Jean-Frederic Waldeck . This inspired John Lloyd Stephens and his friend and illustrator Frederick Catherwood to visit the facility twice longer between 1839 and 1841 to document and record the arrangement of the complex. This became the basis for Sephen's book, Incidents of Travel in the Yucatan .
The restoration of Uxmal began in the middle of the 19th century. The Adivino pyramid was repaired during this time. In the early 1970s, a major conservation project was started by archaeologists from the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH) to consolidate the sides and flat terraces of the pyramid and improve the structural integrity of the temple. In 1988, Hurricane Gilbert swept the Yucatán Peninsula with high winds and heavy rains, causing significant damage to the outside of the pyramid. An investigation after the hurricane found cracks that had formed in the walls of the south side and on both sides of the western stairs. Damage to the vertical walls at the base of the west side of the pyramid was also found.
INAH archaeologists and conservators immediately began devising a way of preserving and stabilizing the pyramid. The west facade had to be reinforced, all structural damage checked and, if necessary, emergency measures initiated. The gaps under the foundation of the stairs were filled with masonry and mortared with cement and plaster. Movement monitoring was set up at critical points in order to determine whether there was a risk of collapse. The immediate measures to stabilize the pyramid prevented it from collapsing. In 1997, however, archaeologists discovered other small cracks that had formed in the walls of the pyramid. Conservation work is still in progress and visitors to the site are prohibited from climbing the pyramid.
Construction and design
The Adivino pyramid dominates Uxmal and is considered unique because of its rounded sides, its considerable height, steeply rising outer walls and the unusual elliptical foundation. Roughly hewn stones cover the body of the pyramid, these stones now largely coming from recent stabilization work.
East-west section of the Adivino pyramid with temples I to V
West view with entrances to temples I and IV
Northwest view, in front the north building of the bird square
East view with stairs and access to Temple II
Dimensions
The exact height of the Adivino pyramid is controversial and has been given both 131 feet (about 40 meters) and 90.5 feet (about 27.5 meters). The recognized height is 115 feet (approximately 35 meters). The foundation measures approximately 227 by 162 feet (about 69 by 49 meters). Although exact dimensions are not available, the pyramid is the largest structure in Uxmal and the most distinctive Mayan structure on the Yucatán peninsula.
Construction phases
The construction of the pyramid was implemented in different phases in over three centuries during the end of the Classical period of the Mayan high culture. Marta Foncerrada del Molina in her book Fechas de radiocarbono en el area Maya dates the beginning of the construction work on the Adivino pyramid to the 6th century, which continues periodically into the 10th century: “This classification refers to the radiocarbon dating to 560 AD (± 50 years) for the lower western part of the temple as on Foncerrada's stylistic dating for the inner temples I and II "
Overall, the creation of the pyramid can be divided into at least five construction phases, whereby the various components are traditionally referred to as “temples”, which does not say anything about their actual function. In doing so, the Mayans followed a traditional practice in the construction of the pyramid: They expanded the dimensions step by step by adding new construction sections to existing construction stages. The way the pyramid stands today, it is the result of five nested temples. Parts of the first temple are visible when climbing the western stairs. The second and third temples can be entered from the east staircase - through an interior chamber on the second level. The third temple forms a narthex in front of the fourth temple . The fourth temple is clearly visible from the west side. If you climb the eastern stairs all the way to the top, you will see the fifth temple, which is located above the second and third temples.
Temple I.
The first temple is the oldest component and is visible from the west side at the foot of the pyramid. This part dates from roughly the 6th century AD. This can be deduced from the radiocarbon dating and the date above the lintel.
Temple I was originally a separate building. It forms the eastern boundary of the Vogelhof, the development of which was not yet complete at that time. The staircase from the Vogelhof, which leads to Temple IV, goes over the facade of the first temple. This staircase partially covers Temple I, so that access to Temple I was created through an arched passage that is now walled up.
The first temple is typical of the classic Puuc style. It consists of two parallel rows of five rooms each, whereby the eastern (rear) row was once accessed through the rooms of the western row. At the end of each row there was originally a transverse room. The middle entrance is no longer visible today. Some of these rooms were probably filled with rubble masonry during the final construction phase of the pyramid for structural reasons. Each door had thick corner pillars and door beams, each made of two wooden beams. However, these bars are only preserved in one place. Radiocarbon dating was carried out on one of the bars, which dates it to 740–760 AD (laboratory number Hei 15505). The confidence interval is 1 sigma, which means that there is a 68% probability that the tree was felled during this period.
The facade of the first temple is decorated with masks of the rain god Chaac , which is characteristic of the Chenes style of Mayan architecture, although the masks were added at a later date. The rest of the component will be covered by later construction phases of the pyramid construction. The passage that led to this component was closed after the heavy rains of Hurricane Gilbert (1988) to ensure that this building was listed as a historical monument .
The facade design consists of a base with three elements: A row of low, small columns extends around the whole building, alternating with smooth surfaces and bordered by two smooth bands. Smooth cladding stones shape the lower wall surface. The areas between the doors and between the doors and corners each have three fields, each designed with three small pillars that run the entire height of the lower wall. These column fields differ from the small columns of the base. Noteworthy is the central cornice , whose unusually diverse and strong decoration is striking. It is made up of oversized, monolithic components, with the front sides protruding outwards and downwards. The lower edge was decorated with cone-like, simply stepped elements, which have the shape of the "ik" symbol. This is similar to a "T" with three bars of equal length. The front side is richly decorated. There is a bas-relief with fish, tendrils, figural motifs, crossed long bones, individual short hieroglyphic texts and braided ribbons. Above this lowest element there is a continuous row of cranked small columns. There is another volume above it. This is reminiscent of flat, small columns with regular incisions around their circumference.
The wall surface above is smooth and interrupted only above the entrances with large Chaac masks placed on top of each other. Above the middle entrance (it is under a staircase built later) was a fully sculptural representation of the Queen of Uxmal ( "Reina de Uxmal" ). It is actually the face of a priest emerging from the jaws of a stylized snake and partially tattooed. This sculpture was removed as part of restoration work. Above it are two very well-preserved, large trunk masks, which, however, have not been visible since the last restoration work, as the passage had to be closed for reasons of stability. The upper cornice is no longer preserved in its original position. From elements found in the rubble, it is concluded that the design of the upper cornice may have been similar to that of the middle cornice.
Temple II
The Temple II is the second phase of construction of the pyramid. This construction phase was also the first step towards the actual pyramid. The second temple can be entered through an opening in the upper part of the eastern staircase. This temple is only partially exposed. Its main chamber is supported by pillars and a roof ridge . The roof ridge is only visible through a slit in the floor of Temple V above.
This temple has its center a little to the east of the rear facade of Temple I. This is partly covered by Temple II with a total height of 22 meters. For structural reasons, the rear rooms of Temple II were partially filled with stone masonry. This first pyramid had a platform with a building facing east, the portico of which was probably supported by eight columns. The number of pillars can only be estimated as the excavation was not carried out to the ends of the building. Later the elongated space of the portico was divided into three rooms by two transverse walls. These transverse walls each enclosed one of the pillars mentioned above and were thus given the character of entrances, each supported by two pillars.
Temple III
The Temple III is oriented to the west and was built on the back of the temple II. It is not visible from the outside and consists of an antechamber and a small shrine , which are one behind the other. Its facade has a two-part middle cornice and a three-part Puuc-style upper cornice. The upper half of the wall of the temple slopes inwards. Here, as with the upper cornice, there are stone pegs that once served to attach a stucco decoration that is no longer preserved today.
A staircase leads to Temple III, which can hardly be seen today. During the construction of Temple V above, the rear room and the rear half of the room in front had to be bricked up to improve the statics. Later buildings meant that Temple III was finally completely covered and can only be reached from the middle of the east staircase through a modern tunnel.
Temple IV
The Temple IV is entered from the west side and is decorated richest. It was built in the Chenes style. The facade of this building is completely covered with masks of the rain god Chaac and a grid ornamentation. The Chenes dragon mouth style entrance represents the Mask of Chaac normally found in the Chenes and Río Bec areas. Here the Chaac's jaw acts as a door. Overall, the two upper temples are particularly strongly influenced by the Chenes style. The interior of the fourth temple is relatively high. Here the approach of the vault is over 4 meters. Two wooden beams carried the entrance.
Temple IV was built around and over Temple III. He thus extends Temple III to the front. The entrance to Temple IV is reached by stairs from the Vogelhof. This staircase has a chain of masks of the rain god Chaac on its edges.
Temple V
The Temple V (also: House of the Magician , House of the Magician ) was in the final stages of construction of the pyramid in the Chenes style. This structure sits on top of the pyramid and dates from the 9th century. It is the youngest and highest building in the pyramid. It also has lattice ornamentation and consists of three narrow rooms that are oriented in a north-south direction.
Temple V is located directly above Temple II at the level of the upper edge of its roof ridge. This became visible through a trap door after excavations. For Temple V, a new, steeper staircase was created on the east side, which completely covers Temple II. In addition, two more stairs were created on the west side, which lead past Temple V. This building, with stairs on both sides, faces the two main sides of the pyramid at the same time: the entrance to the central room faces west. The two rooms at the southern and northern end have their entrances to the east. In front of it is a narrow platform, which is accessed through the wide staircase on the east side.
The west side facade rests on a base on which two smooth strips form the frame for a recessed strip of small columns. The lower wall surface of the west facade has two fields with serrated stones ( chimez ) placed diagonally across the entrance . In the middle of each was a fully plastic figure made of stone, of which only remnants can be found today. The laterally adjoining wall surfaces are smooth.
In the middle cornice, a protruding, smooth band is framed by two obliquely protruding bands. The upper wall surface has four individually standing meanders, in front of which a rectangular peg protrudes from the wall, on which a figure probably once stood. The upper cornice corresponds to the middle one and is only located a little higher.
The east facade is much less decorated. The smooth, lower half of the wall is separated from the upper half of the wall by the usual three-band cornice. The upper wall surface is badly damaged. Nevertheless, a three-dimensional image of a traditional house with a palm leaf roof has been preserved in the extension of the center line of the east staircase.
Since the pyramid was damaged by a hurricane, it is no longer allowed to climb for static reasons. Today only the lowest part of the building is open to visitors.
Stairs
There are two flights of stairs leading to the top of the pyramid, both with an incline of 60 degrees. The eastern staircase is the wider of the two staircases that lead from the foundation to the upper temple. Near the top of the east stairs is a small, interior temple that divides the stairs.
The western staircase overlooks the nuns' square and is richly decorated compared to the eastern side. Along both sides of this narrow staircase there are pictures of the hook-nosed rain god Chaac. Worshipers who were using these stairs on their way to the upper temple, ceremonially climbed the "stairs of the gods " to the sacrificial site.
Architectural styles
The early phases of the Adivino pyramid were built in the Puuc style: rather bare in the lower area and richly adorned in the upper areas. Early Puuc architecture includes roof ridges, sloping friezes, and an absence of mosaics . Limestone was later used in the construction in the Puuc style - often with smooth walls, stucco work, masks and other representations of the rain god Chaac and the design along horizontal lines. The sides of the pyramid were probably once decorated with stucco work in different colors, each color symbolizing a direction.
The Chenes style predominantly determined the late Classical Mayan architecture with its entrances, which were formed by a single, large mask that represented the entrance as an open mouth. The facades of the multi-chamber buildings are often divided into three parts - with the middle area, which is positioned either protruding or receding from the rest of the facade. The chambers are usually decorated with Chaac masks. Chenes-style features can be found throughout the upper temples of the pyramid.
tourism
The Adivino Pyramid is Uxmal's biggest tourist attraction. Near the entrance there is now a cafeteria, a souvenir shop and toilets in front of the pyramid, as well as a small museum and a lecture room. The site is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. - with a light show in the evening in English and Spanish, with the Adivino pyramid being the focus of the show.
Legend
The name Pyramid of the Wizard of the Adivino Pyramid is derived from a Mayan legend. It is unknown how old this myth is and what the pre-Columbian name of the structure was. The legend appears in various writings that deal with the construction of the pyramid. According to one of these records, the creator god Itzamná is said to have built the pyramid with his power and magic in one night all by himself.
According to another story, if a certain gong was struck, Uxmal was doomed to fall on a boy who was not born to a woman. This gong was struck one day by a dwarf who was not born by a woman, but rather deflated an egg hatched by a childless woman - according to the Uxmal tourist guide, it was an iguana's egg and the woman was a witch . The sound of the gong scared the leaders of the city and it was ordered that the dwarf should be executed. But they wanted to spare the dwarf's life if he had to cope with three seemingly impossible tasks. One of these tasks was to build a huge pyramid in one night that was supposed to be larger than any other building in the city. Eventually, the dwarf did all of the chores - including building the pyramids. So the dwarf was appointed the new leader of Uxmal and the building was dedicated to him. Therefore the pyramid is also called the pyramid of the dwarf .
A slightly different version of this legend is told by Hans Li in the book "The Ancient Ones": According to this, this temple pyramid was built by a powerful dwarf magician who was hatched in an egg by his mother. Under the threat of a king of Uxmal, he was forced to build this temple within 14 days or otherwise lose his life.
In other traditional versions the old woman is depicted as a witch or sorceress and the dwarf is a boy who magically grows up overnight.
The "official" legend was told to John Lloyd Stephens in 1840 by a local native Mayan as follows:
There was an old woman who lived in a hut that was exactly where the pyramid stands today. This old woman was a witch who one day began to grieve because she had no children. One day she took an egg and wrapped it in towels and put it in a corner of her little hut. Every day she looked after the egg until one day it hatched and a small creature that looked very much like a baby came out of the enchanted egg.
The old woman was delighted and adopted the baby as her son. She took care of a wet nurse and took good care of her, so that within a year the being acted and spoke like a human. After that year it stopped growing and the old woman was very proud of her son and told him that one day he would be a great ruler or king.
One day she told her son to go to the governor's house and challenge the king to a test of strength. The dwarf did not want to go at first, but the old woman insisted and so he went to meet the king. The guards let him in and he challenged the king. The king smiled and told the dwarf to lift a stone that weighs three arrobas (about 34kg). The dwarf cried and ran back to his mother. The witch was wise and told her son to tell the king that if the king lifted the stone first, he would lift it too. The dwarf went back to the king and told him what his mother had told him to do. The king lifted the stone and the dwarf did the same. The king was impressed and a little nervous and put the dwarf to the test with further great strength performances for the rest of the day. Every time the king demonstrated his strength, the dwarf managed to do the same.
The king got angry that a dwarf was as strong as he was and told the dwarf that in one night he would have to build a house bigger than any other house in town or he would be executed. The dwarf returned crying to his mother, who told him not to give up hope and that he should go to bed immediately. The next morning the city saw the finished pyramid of the dwarf - taller than any other building in the city.
The king saw the structure from his palace and was furious again. He called the dwarf over and ordered one last test of strength. The dwarf should collect two bundles of cogoil wood, a very strong and heavy wood, and the king would break the wood on the dwarf's head and then it would be the dwarf's turn to break the wood on the king's head.
The dwarf ran to his mother for help. She told him not to worry and placed an enchanted tortilla on his head for protection. The trial of strength was carried out in front of the city leaders. The king broke the whole bundle stick by stick on the dwarfs' heads without injuring him and tried to withdraw from the trial of strength. However, he knew that in front of the assembled city officials he had no choice but to go ahead and give the dwarf his turn.
The second stick from the dwarf's bundle broke the king's skull in pieces and it fell dead at the feet of the dwarf, who was celebrated as the new king. Edward Ranney. Stonework of the Maya. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1974, pp. 80-81
Quotes
Stephens and Catherwood first visited Uxmal in 1839 and again during their 1841 expedition. Stephens describes his first look at the ruins as follows:
“We took another road and suddenly, to my astonishment, a once large open field emerged from the forest with scattered ruins and huge buildings on terraces and pyramid structures, large and well preserved, richly decorated without a bush that obstructs the view and a picturesque one Impression that almost corresponded to the ruins of Thebes ... The place I am now speaking of was without a doubt once a large, densely populated and highly civilized city. Who built it, why it was far from water or any of these natural advantages that determined the location of cities whose history is known, which led to their abandonment and demise, no one can say ... ” ( John Lloyd Stephens : Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan Volume I. New York: Dover Publications, 1969, p. 64.)
“The classic pyramid shape was free-standing here. It is as if the Maya architects had remembered the mountain tops where the gods were worshiped in the veiled past. ” ( Hans Helfritz : Mexican Cities of the Gods: An Archeological Guide. New York: Praeger, 1970, p. 149. )
See also
Individual evidence
- ^ National Geographic Society : Research & Exploration, Volume 10, 1994.
- ↑ Lawrenc G. Desmond: "Stereo-Photogrammetric Documentation of the Adivino Pyramid at Uxmal, Yucatan" (online source) March 12 - 24, 1999, accessed on October 26, 2006 ( Memento from September 7, 2006 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Original quote: "This placement depends both on the AD 560 ± 50 radiocarbon date for the Lower West Temple, as well as on Foncerrada's stylistic dates for inner Temples I and II" Jeff K. Kowalski: The House of the Governor: A Maya palace at Uxmal, Yucatan, Mexico. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1987, p. 47.
- ^ A b Henri Stierlin: Living Architecture: Mayan. Friborg: Office du livre, 1964, p. 66.
- ↑ HED Pollock : The Puuc. An architectural survey of the hill country of Yucatan and northern Campeche, Mexico. Peabody Museum of Archeology and Ethnology, Cambridge MA 1980, ISBN 0-87365-693-8 .
- ^ Hans Helfritz: Mexican Cities of the Gods: An Archeological Guide. New York: Praeger, 1970, p. 149.
- ↑ Hans Li: The Ancient Ones: Sacred Monuments of the Inka, Maya & Cliffdweller. Banaras: City of Light, 1994.
- ↑ Original text: “There was an old woman who lived in a hut that was located on the exact spot where the finished pyramid now stands. This old woman was a witch who one day went into mourning that she had no children. One day, she took an egg and wrapped it in cloth and placed it in a corner of her small hut. Every day she went to look at the egg until one day it hatched and a small creature, closely resembling a baby, came from the enchanted egg. “ The old woman was delighted and called the baby her son. She provided it with a nurse and took good care of it so that within a year it was walking and talking like a man. It stopped growing after a year and the old woman was very proud of her son and told him that one day he would be a great Lord or King. One day, she told her son to go to the House of the Governor and challenge the King to a trial of strength. The dwarf didn't want to go at first but the old woman insisted and so to see the King he went. The guards let him in and he threw down his challenge to the King. The King smiled, and told the dwarf to lift a stone that weighed three arrobas (75 pounds). At this the dwarf cried and ran back to his mother. The witch was wise, and told her son to tell the King that if the King would lift the stone first, then he would lift it also. The dwarf returned and told the King what his mother told him to say. The king lifted the stone and the dwarf did the same. The King was impressed, and a little nervous, and tested the dwarf for the rest of the day with other feats of strength. Each time the King performed an act, the dwarf was able to match it. The King became enraged that he was being matched by a dwarf, and told the dwarf that in one night he must build a house higher than any other in the city or he would be killed. The dwarf again returned crying to his mother who told him to not lose hope, and that he should go straight to bed. The next morning the city awoke to see the Pyramid of the Dwarf in its finished state, taller than any other building in the city. The King saw this building from his palace and was enraged again. He summoned the dwarf and ordered one final test of strength. The dwarf had to collect two bundles of Cogoil wood, a very strong and heavy wood, and the king would break the wood over the head of the dwarf, and after that the dwarf could have his turn to break the wood over the King's head. The dwarf again ran to his mother for help. She told him not to worry and placed an enchanted tortilla on his head for protection. The trial was to be performed in front of all the great men of the city. The King proceeded to break the whole of his bundle over the dwarf's head, one stick at a time. The King failed to injure the dwarf and then tried to bow out of his challenge. In full view of the town's great men, though, he knew he had no choice but to go ahead and let the dwarf have his turn. The second stick of the dwarf's bundle broke the Kings skull into pieces and he fell dead at the foot of the dwarf, who was hailed as the new King. Edward Ranney: Stonework of the Maya. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1974, pp. 80-81.
-
↑ "We took another road, and, suddenly emerged from the woods, to my astonishment came at once upon a large open field strewed with mounds of ruins, and vast buildings on terraces, and pyramidal structures, grand and in good preservation, richly ornamented , without a bush to obstruct the view, and in picturesque effect almost equal to the ruins of Thebes ... "
..." The place of which I am now speaking was beyond all doubt once a large, populous, and highly civilized city . Who built it, why is was located away from water or any of those natural advantages which have determined the sites of cities whose histories are known, what led to its abandonment and destruction, no man can tell. " John Lloyd Stephens . Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan Volume I. New York: Dover Publications, 1969, p. 64. - ↑ "The classical pyramid form has been abandoned here. It is as if the Mayan architects had remembered the mountain peaks where the gods had been worshiped in the hazy past. " Hans Helfritz: Mexican Cities of the Gods: An Archeological Guide. New York: Praeger, 1970, p. 149.
swell
- Lawrenc G. Desmond: Stereo-Photogrammetric Documentation of the Adivino Pyramid at Uxmal, Yucatan (online source) March 12-24, 1999, accessed October 26, 2006 ( Memento of September 7, 2006 in the Internet Archive )
- Hans Helfritz : Mexican Cities of the Gods: An Archeological Guide. New York: Praeger, 1970
- Jeff K. Kowalski: The House of the Governor: A Maya palace at Uxmal, Yucatan, Mexico. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1987
- Hans Li: The Ancient Ones: Sacred Monuments of the Inka, Maya & Cliffdweller. Banaras: City of Light, 1994
- Octavio Paz: The Other Mexico: Critique of the Pyramid. New York: Grove Press, 1972
- Edward Ranney: Stonework of the Maya. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1974
- John Lloyd Stephens : Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan Volume I. New York: Dover Publications, 1969
- Henri Stierlin: Living Architecture: Mayan. Friborg: Office du livre, 1964