!!!Maya Pyramids

Photo by Dmitry Moiseenko and Stas Sedov,
members of the [AirPano Team|Geography/About/Consortium/AirPano,_Team] that is a member of the [global-geography Consortium|Geography/About/Consortium]. \\

3 March 2014

with kind permission of [AirPano|http://www.AirPano.com]

There were a number of great civilizations on our planet. Each of them,
one way or another, contributed to the history and culture of human
kind. One of the most famous civilizations is Maya. They created a
unique written language, art, architecture, and mathematical and
astronomical systems before disappearing without a trace.

Remarkable monuments of Mayan architecture are found in Mexico, Belize,
Guatemala, and Honduras. Several of these amazing masterpieces are
featured on our panoramas. For example, the ancient city of Chichen Itza
located in the northern part of Yucatan Peninsula.  It is one of the
most popular landmarks of Mexico.

[{Image src='01_Temple of Kukulcan, Chichen Itza, Mexico.jpg' caption='Temple of Kukulcan, Chichen Itza, Mexico' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='621'}]

Presumably, the city was founded in the VII century AD during the golden
age of Mayan culture. One of the key places of Chichen Itza is the
Temple of Kukulkan, a 24-meter-high pyramid built for the Supreme God of
the Wind and Rain, the "founder" of royal dynasties and large cities.
Each edge of the pyramid is 55 meters long, and each side has 9 steps.

[{Image src='02_Temple of Kukulcan, Chichen Itza, Mexico.jpg' caption='Temple of Kukulcan, Chichen Itza, Mexico' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='621'}]

The Temple of Kukulkan is a masterpiece of architecture and astronomy.
The four faces of the temple have stairways with 91 steps each, which
makes 364 steps total. Combined with a base platform on top of the
pyramid that unties all four stairways, it comes to 365, the exact
number of days in a solar year. The number of sections on each side of
the temple is also symbolical: 9 steps of the pyramid are divided in
half by a stairway, which equals a number of months (18) in Mayan
calendar. Moreover, 52 stone reliefs on each face of the sanctuary
represent one calendar cycle consisting of 52 years. There is also a
small temple with four entrances for sacrificial rituals on top of the
pyramid.

[{Image src='03_Chichen Itza, Mexico.jpg' caption='Chichen Itza, Mexico' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='331'}]

Maya depicted Kukulkan as a feathered serpent with a human head. This is
why one can see a "feathered serpent" in the Temple of Kukulkan on every
spring and autumn equinox. At about 3 pm on March 20th and September
22nd the sunlight casts a series of shadows against the western
balustrade of the main stairway, which creates an optical illusion of a
37-meter-long snake that follows the sun "wriggling" down to its own
head carved at the base of the staircase. Such a unique collaboration of
nature and architecture puts up an annual "show" that attracts thousands
of spectators and makes Chichen Itza the most famous landmark of Mexico
and the entire world.

[{Image src='04_Chichen Itza, Mexico.jpg' caption='Chichen Itza, Mexico' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='621'}]

Apart from the Temple of Kukulkan, Chichen Itza preserved seven
"stadiums" for ball games, the Group of Thousand Columns forming a giant
rectangular, the Sacred Cenote (also known as the Sacred Well), and many
other interesting structures. The ancient city is recognized as a UNESCO
World Heritage Site. In 2007 it was also named one of the New Seven
Wonders of the World. Our photo panoramas will help you get acquainted
with this miracle.

We've finished to photograph "New 7 Wonders of the World" with
publication of this tour. Later we will release a separate virtual tour
with "New 7 Wonders of the World".

\\ \\
[10 Panoramas of Maya Pyramids 1|Geography/America/Mexico/Pictures/Panoramas_of_Maya_Pyramids_1]











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