mark jools
...ed 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. B ][ The brilaant 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 who studied the stars and left a written record of their history in the form of carved glyphs. 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 who would act as messanger to the gods. At the main entrance there are two serpantine columns sculpted in the form of the feathered serpent whose bases are the heads and crowns are the tails of rattlesnakes. 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. Further evidence that this building was linked to the Maya interest in astronomy and calendars can be seen at both the spring and autumn equinox 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 prisoners heads as well as those of other sacrificial victims were displayed for all the inhabitants to view. C ][ The stuatues and carvings of the mayan world 1 ][ The mayans made stone carvings. The stone carvings explain the way they lived there life, and the people who were important. a ][ The stone carved figures of eagles and jaguars devouring hearts are said to represent the warriors who were responsible for obtaining victims for...