Facts About the Mayan Ruins
The Mayan civilization thrived between 300 and 900 A.D, but the Mayan people and culture remain to this day. Of the 40 discovered cities of the Mayans, about 15 sites attract a regular flow of tourists. The Mayan ruins impress upon visitors the vast knowledge of science, art, architecture, language and mathematics that once flourished in their culture.
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Architecture
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The Mayans used sculpted limestone blocks to build their fantastic temples, monuments and pyramids--often adorning them with serpent, bird, human or hieroglyph carvings.
Significance
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Many people believe that the Mayan ruins are sacred sites because the architects followed careful astrological, mathematical and spiritual guidelines to build their temples, observatories and pyramids. The Mayan ruins are World Heritage Sites.
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Geography
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The Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico contains the majority of Mayan ruins, with several sites also located in Guatemala, Belize and Honduras.
Features
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Sites located close to the popular vacation city, Cancun, attract the most visitors. Two examples of such sites are Chichen Itza, with an impressive collection of buildings and dramatic fall and spring equinox celebrations; and Tulum, located along a romantic beach.
Theories
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Many archaeologists believe that the Mayans rebuilt and remodeled structures every 52 years, or whenever a major political change occurred.
Fun Fact
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Archaeologists discovered that Mayans used paint containing the mineral mica to make their temples and sacred buildings sparkle.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Sybz: Wikimedia Commons
