Chitzen Itza
... New York : 1984. p. 109) a. Upon entering the ball court, visitors are struck by the excellent sounds of the stadium and its surrounding temples. The panels along the sidewalls are decorated with scenes from the ball game and its players.(Coe p. 110) b. At one time it was believed that the losers were destined to die. Some think that the captain of the winning team was sacrificed since his team's triumph made him a fitting offering to the gods.( Coe p. 110) c. An essential part of the Juego de Pelota are the two stone scoring rings decorated with serpents which are found on opposite walls of the ball field. Nobody knows exactly how the game was played but is believed that for a team to score, the players of that team had to pass a hard rubber ball through the openings of the rings without using their hands. Although played for sport and for wagers the ball game had a definite religious significance.( Coe p. 110) B. The brilliant artutecter of the Mayan city 1. The Mayas who lived in Chichén-Itzá built many palaces, temples, and monuments. They not only were powerful warriors but also wise men that studied the stars and left a written record of their history in the form of carved stones. a. The palace of the upper temple which was built over an earlier temple is almost completely covered with motifs imported from central Mexico such as images of heart-eating eagles and jaguars. The upper temple has two enclosures whose entrance is an impressive entrance guarded by a statue of Chac-Mool .It is believed that offerings were placed on the stomach of the reclining figure that would act as messenger to the gods. (Morley / Brainerd The Ancient Maya Stanford University : 1956 p. 324) b. Two of the four sides of main temple have been restored. Originally each side had 91 steps and with the addition of the platform at the top there are 365 steps, one for each day of the year. c. The Platform of Skulls, a T-shaped stone monument sixty meters long and twelve meters wide, was dedicated to the glory of military conquest and ritual sacrifice. It was here that prisoner’s heads as well as those of other sacrificial victims were displayed for all the inhabitants to view.(Morley p.327) C. The Stone Carvings of the Mayan world 1. The Mayans made stone carvings. The stone carvings explain the way they lived their life, and the people who were important. a. The stone carved figures of eagles and jaguars d...