Temple pyramid

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The pyramid of Kukulcán in Chichén Itzá (approx. 1100) is considered the classic example of a late Mesoamerican temple pyramid.

A temple pyramid is a combined structure consisting of a pyramid - mostly graduated in the late period - as a substructure and a temple building as an architectural attachment.

distribution

Temple pyramids were formerly common in some Indian cultures in North America (see: mounds ) and in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica . While the tradition of building pyramids in North America was demolished before the arrival of the Europeans , in some areas in the highlands of Mexico ( Tenochtitlán , Tlatelolco , Castillo de Teayo ) and Guatemala ( Iximché , Zaculeu , Q'umarkaj ) until shortly before the Spanish Conquista temple pyramids erected. Such structures do not exist in the entire north and on the Pacific coast of Mexico or southeast of Honduras or El Salvador .

Whether the mud brick pyramids ( huacas ) of the coastal peoples of Peru had temples on top of palaces and tombs is a contentious question. Some ziggurat buildings in Mesopotamia ( Babylon ) can also be called temple pyramids.

Dating

None of the Mesoamerican temple pyramids is inscribed; only in rare cases ( Tikal , Palenque , Copán ) do inscriptions on or in the temple or on the inscription staircase provide information on dating. The dates mentioned below are essentially based on comparative studies and hypotheses of archaeological research.

history

Great pyramid (mound of earth) at La Venta (around 500 BC)

According to previous knowledge and well-founded hypotheses, the Mesoamerican temple pyramids have developed from simple mounds of earth built by human hands to protect against flooding in the rainy cultural zone of the so-called Olmecs in the hinterland of the Mexican Gulf coast (cf. plan by Tres Zapotes ); A hut-like 'sanctum' was built on top of these. It can hardly be clarified whether these simple structures were later enlarged by overbuilding - after heavy rains combined with storms ( hurricanes ), both the temple and the mound had to be repaired or renewed; in the process they were often enlarged and raised a little. It can be assumed that many of the mounds of earth were stabilized in the course of time with laid rough stones in order to protect them from flooding; larger, level stepping stones made it easier to climb to the temple. In a later phase, the - still largely uncut - stones were covered with stucco in many places, which was then also given relief and / or painted in color. Towards the end of the classical phase of Mesoamerican pyramid construction (approx. 400 to 800 AD), most of the buildings show exterior masonry made of precisely hewn stones as well as significantly stronger architectural structures ( El Tajín , Edzná ), which sometimes even seem to have a calendar symbolism ( Chichén Itzá ).

architecture

pyramid

Most of the surviving temple pyramids - with the exception of the round pyramids of Cuicuilco and Calixtlahuaca in the highlands of Mexico and the laterally rounded ' Pyramid of the Magician ' of Uxmal - have an (almost) square or rectangular floor plan. The exterior of almost all later buildings is multi-tiered (cf. also Talud-tablero ), the individual steps and the flattened top of the pyramid with the temple could be entered; thus they differ fundamentally from the classic Egyptian pyramids , where climbing was basically impossible. The ' pyramid of the sun ' and the ' pyramid of the moon ' from Teotihuacán still seem to be based on older, unstructured building principles; their angle of inclination is also comparatively flat.

Most of the stone temple pyramids of the classical period had only one staircase, which had the same angle of inclination as the building itself and thus almost rested on it (Teotihuacán). In the post-classical pyramids, two to four flights of stairs were common in the Maya area, while in the central Mexican highlands, even for larger buildings, there was only one flight of stairs (exception: Templo Mayor , Tenochtitlán ). The stairs of many Mayan pyramids are mostly in front of the actual structure, which saves building material as well as some of the transport and labor costs; In addition, the external effect of such steep buildings is much more spectacular. The greatest steepness of the pyramidal bodies was reached in Tikal and Uxmal.

temple

The temples of the early period (up to around 400 AD) were probably no different from the huts of the peoples of Mesoamerica: They consisted of about 2 m long, vertically and closely juxtaposed thin branches that were held together with ropes made of creepers or agaves and in some cases were sealed with clay; the gable roofs were made of branches, for the cover reeds were used, which were available in large parts of Mesoamerica in sufficient quantities. These constructions mostly did not survive the first storm and therefore - like the residential huts - had to be permanently repaired or renewed. The idols and images of gods inside the temple hut were thus exposed to the whims of the weather, which was certainly not conducive to their claim to (power).

At some point in history - possibly around 400 AD, because no traces of stone temples were discovered on the pyramids of Teotihuacán - the wooden structures were replaced by stone structures - initially with wooden roof trusses and a cover made of reeds; In the classical period (approx. 600–800 AD) almost all temple roofs were made of stone. The striving upwards, which can already be seen in the classical pyramids, was reinforced by openwork stone structures or “crests” ( cresterías ) on the temple roofs (Palenque, Tikal, Edzná, etc.). It was not until the post-classical period that both the dimensions of the pyramids and the temples were brought back to 'normal dimensions'.

Like the simple wooden or reed huts of the people, the temples of Mesoamerica also had no window openings - lighting and ventilation were exclusively through the - non-lockable - doorway. In later times, many temples in the Maya area were equipped with front or side rooms ( Dzibilchaltún , Palenque, Chichén Itzá); these could then also have window openings. The actual cella with the image of the gods , which was raised by a step in many buildings , always remained in semi-darkness and was only allowed to be entered by the priests. Sacrifice ceremonies (especially human sacrifices ) took place - according to current knowledge - not in, but in front of the temple.

photos

See also

literature