Homework help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...?

Question

Homework help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...
Okay look folks look i need lots of help!!!I have this project on the mayan stepped pyramids.Ive looked all ovr the place but nothin'.I need 2 know why were they made then and the HISTORICAL purpose please smart ppl help me!

Answer 1

From what I recall the pyramid was originally designed for human sacrifice....
http://www.courses.psu.edu/anth/anth008_cmg149/pyr.html
check this out - I think I found the answer:
The ancient Mayans built two types of pyramids, those that were meant to be climbed and those that were not. The first type was used for holding sacrificial rituals. The other type was not meant to be touched and was sacred. The steps on theses structures were too steep to climb and many times they had doorways leading to nowhere. During their rituals, the priests would ascend the pyramid from the earth to the sky by means of staircases. They believed that this brought them closer to the gods(Stierlin 98).

These staircases lead from ground level to the temple. The number of staircases that the pyramids had varied, but there were typically two or four. Many times there would be a platform connecting the steps somewhere near the middle of the pyramid so that the priest-king could stop and do a part of his ritual before continuing to the top(Stierlin 98).

Aside from having religious functions, Mayan pyramids also had other purposes. The pyramids were built so high that their tops could be seen protruding out of the jungle. Because of this, the Mayan people were able to use them as landmarks. That was not the only significance of building them so high though. They also served as a reminder that the gods were ever present(Hernandez 13).

Answer 2

Although not true pyramids, pyramidical structures were also built by the Mesopotamians and by the Maya of Mexico and Central America. Mesopotamian ziggurat was square in plan and built up in receding terraces. Mayan pyramids, built in steep, receding blocks, also were topped by ritual chambers, and in some cases, possessed an interior crypt. Stepped funeral pyramids dating from the 4th cent. were discovered in the 1990s in the Altai region of Siberia. The Romans built small pyramidical tombs of which the most famous was the Pyramid of Cestius (62 —12 ) in Rome. Built of concrete faced with marble, it has an interior tomb vault and is 116 ft (35 m) high. Many modern architects have admired pyramids for their pure geometry. In the reconstruction of the Louvre in Paris, architect I. M. Pei added a pyramidal entrance pavilion (1987—89).

Answer 3

just google "mayan pyramids" and you will get 826,000 websites to choose from. I find that the first 20 hits are usually the most helpful. good luck

Answer 4

They are still working on finding that out. Unfortunately, most of the writings are gone and we have little to go by.