The Maya: History, civilization & gods

[Judi Lynn]

1. Lasers reveal construction inspired by ancient Mexican pyramids in Maya ruins

Scaled-down cousin of Teotihuacan’s Temple of the Feathered Serpent found in Guatemala

Temple of the Feathered Serpent against a sunny backdrop



The Temple of the Feathered Serpent (shown) is the smallest of the three giant pyramids at the ancient Mexican city of Teotihuacan.

DIEGOGRANDI/ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS

By Meghie Rodrigues

OCTOBER 22, 2021 AT 6:00 AM

At Teotihuacan, near Mexico City, three giant pyramids rise above the ancient city’s main street, the Avenue of the Dead. The smallest of these is the Temple of the Feathered Serpent, which sits within La Ciudadela, or the Citadel, a massive sunken plaza with tall walls.

Now, more than a thousand kilometers away at the Maya capital of Tikal in what’s now Guatemala, researchers have found a smaller plaza and pyramid possibly modeled after La Ciudadela and its temple.

Teotihuacan is thought to have conquered Tikal in the year 378 (SN: 9/27/18). The finding adds to evidence of Teotihuacan’s influence over Tikal, the team reports September 28 in Antiquity.

“The architectural layout revealed by this study is stunning,” says anthropological archaeologist Nawa Sugiyama of the University of California, Riverside, who was not involved in the new research. “The very orthogonal city planning with specific orientation of the pyramids gives Teotihuacan a very characteristic architectural style, making it easy to identify any Teotihuacan influence abroad.”

More:
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/lasers-lidar-mexican-pyramid-maya-teotihuacan-temple-feathered-serpent-tikal