The Mayan civilisation originated around 1500 BC, controlling much of the north-western half of Central America's isthmus, which is today part of southern Mexico. Over the past few decades, the Mayan civilisation has captivated our interest and imagination, thanks to generations of curious explorers. They have gone into central America's deepest jungles to discover astonishing pyramids, spiritual mysteries and astronomical wonders. Join us as we explore the Mayan civilization's architectural marvels.&nbsp;



Pyramids of worship  The Mayans are mostly renowned for their magnificent pyramids. They used pyramids not just as temples and centres of worship where sacrifices were offered to gods, but also as tombs for departed kings. Here are some famous Mayan pyramids for you. 



La Danta: This is one of the world's biggest pyramids in terms of overall volume. It is 250 feet tall and has 2.8 million cubic feet of space.  The Palenque's Temple of the Inscriptions: It is the Tomb of the Maya ruler Kinich Janaab Pacal (615-683 CE).  Temple IV at Tikal: It stands 230 feet tall and was also featured in the American space movie Star Wars (1977). 



Pyramids representing astronomical events and more  The Mayans were arguably the most skilled astronomers of their time. The El Castillo pyramid is one example of their excellence in this field. It stands around 100 feet tall. There are 91 stairs on each side of El Castillo. When you add the steps on all four sides and then add the top floor as a step, you get 365 steps, one for each day of the year. Interestingly, during equinoxes (Sun appears directly over the Earth’s equator), a shadow known as the serpent moves up one of the temple's stairs like a snake. How? This shadow effect is due to the sun's angle and its light reaching the steps of the pyramid. Wait, there’s more. Mayans also used to paint their pyramids to give them a mystical look. How do we know this? While examining a Mayan temple in Honduras in 2008, researchers found significant amounts of mica, a beautiful, sparkling substance. It is thought that they used mica to paint their sacred temples so that they would shimmer in the sunlight! 



Palaces with steam baths!  The Mayans' ability to create, advance and maintain a powerful society in the middle of a rainforest is among their most remarkable features. Mayan palaces were often built with towers and stone columns to support the roof. In addition to halls, bedrooms, kitchens and sculptures of the kings, some palaces had luxurious facilities like bathrooms and steam baths. The Palenque Palace, with its unusual three-storey tower, is the greatest example standing tall. 



Palaces had several entrances as well. For example, as seen at the sites of Mayan civilisation in Structure 22 at Copan and the Pyramid of the Magician at Uxmal, they might have been carved to resemble the mouth of a scary monster. What is the significance of these carvings? These entrances resembled the mouths of holy caves, which are typically thought of as gateways to other worlds!&nbsp;



The Mayan ballcourts  Some of the first things that come to mind when we think of sports are ball games like football and basketball. Little do we know that many of these ball games have their roots in subtropical Central American regions dating back to thousands of years. Two magnificent examples of Mayan ball courts are found at Uxmal and Copan.  



What did a typical Mayan ball game look like? Well, ball players wearing jade necklaces, protection gear and frightening face paint would take part in ball games in search of victory. They used an 8-pound rubber ball with a human skull in the middle. And the game involved passing the ball around without touching it with your hands and then getting it to pass through a tiny basketball-style hoop.&nbsp;



According to researchers, the Mayans played the first ever competitive team ball game. But they didn’t fight for gold medals. The Mayans battled for the right to survive. The winning team lived, while the losing team was sacrificed to the gods and sentenced to eternity in the underworld. Now, that is dangerous, isn’t it?&nbsp;

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