Pre-Columbian Pyramids

Cultural Background

The Mayans left behind great cities. These cities, which in some cases were probably more ceremonial and trading centers than the traditional residential cities we think of today, included different types of buildings such as pyramid-temples, platforms, arcaded halls, palaces, and other buildings whose function we don't know. Many of these buildings, combined with the few surviving codices and carved monuments called stelae, show a significant and complex understanding of principles of mathematics and astronomy, many of which are expressed in their elaborate and complex calendar.