regions. Thus, in the central plateau of Mexico we find, as
antecedents to the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon in Te-
otihuacan, the large, elongated mounds of Totimehuacan
(Puebla) and the superimposed circular platforms (150 me-
ters in diameter) in Cuicuilco, in the southeast corner of the
Valley of Mexico. In the northern part of Petén (Guatemala),
in the heart of the Maya area, the massive pyramids of El
Mirador, with their apexes emerging from the dense forest,
foreshadow the great Maya temples of Tikal in the same
region.
Together with this tendency toward monumental build-
ing there was a great preoccupation with architectural perma-
nence. This concern was reflected in the emergence of large
retaining walls for the compressed fill of earth and rubble.
These walls constituted the solid nucleus of the pyramid, and
their taluses tended to follow the natural sloping angle of the
fill. The access staircase, generally the only one placed on the
axis of the temple, was initially incorporated into the general
mass of the pyramid itself. With the passing of time it tended
to project outward, frequently bordered by two alfardas, or
flat ramps, which in turn often projected slightly beyond the
steps or, according to local or regional style, assumed more
complex shapes. In the same manner, the sides of the pyra-
mid could be decorated with large masks or other sculptures
or ornamented rhythmically with moldings, notably varia-
tions on the talus panel (tablero-talud or talud-tablero, a
panel, or tablero, usually framed with moldings, that project-
ed from the slope). These architectural elements, together
with the proportions, divisions, and other formal characteris-
tics of the foundation, define the principal masses of the
structure and highlight their respective horizontal or vertical
features.
Finally, the temple itself, which usually occupies the
upper platform of the pyramid, evolved from a simple hut
to a more elaborate building made of masonry. Depending
on the region, it was covered with a flat roof supported by
wooden timbers and surrounded by low parapets or, as can
be observed among the Maya, with vaulting made up of dif-
ferent types of projecting (corbeled) arches. Various types of
panels, moldings, and sculptures enrich the temple silhou-
ettes, which could be crowned with more or less massive roof
combs, as in the case of Classical Maya architecture, or with
sculptured finials distributed at regular intervals on the out-
side perimeter of the parapet in the style of a battlement.
Such finials can be observed in the architectural tradition of
Mexico’s central plateau from the period of Teotihuacán
until the Spanish conquest.
INTERPRETATIONS. From the Spanish chroniclers of the six-
teenth century we learn that in spite of the staircases, which
were usually wide and well proportioned in relation to the
whole (and independent of the scale, large or small, of the
rooms inside), the sanctuary that usually topped each pyra-
mid for the most part remained closed to the common mor-
tal. This observation seems to indicate that, at least in its
community aspects, worship was conducted outdoors, either
on the upper platform of the pyramid in front of the main
entrance to the sanctuary or, if there was one, on the altar
platform in the center of the plaza located at the foot of the
pyramid, where the congregation gathered.
Naturally, there are a few exceptional cases in which the
pyramid was conceived without a temple. If in fact worship
was essentially an outdoor activity, the interior space of the
sanctuaries, relatively large in Mexico’s central plateau, Oa-
xaca, and other regions of Mesoamerica, could be reduced
to very small dimensions, apparently without undermining
its sacred character. This is particularly evident in the Maya
area, where the width of the interior spaces fluctuates on the
average between three meters and seventy-five centimeters,
as we can see when we compare, for example, a temple in
Palenque, in southern Mexico, with one in Tikal. There are,
however, extreme cases, such as Building A in Nakum
(Petén), where the narrow chambers measure only fifty and
forty-two centimeters in width (perhaps to function as a
“loudspeaker” that dramatically amplified the voice of the
priest). Such considerations likewise help to explain those
full-scale simulated temples in the Rio Bec region of Campe-
che, which are sometimes crowned by two or three solid
“towers.” These towers, incorporated into the mass of a low,
functional building, in turn constitute versions of com-
pressed pyramids, complete with simulated staircases. This
imitation of the temple-pyramid was not detrimental to the
symbolic meaning of certain privileged parts of the building,
such as the staircase, the sides of the tower, the main doorway
(or its upper frieze alone), and the roof comb.
The primary function of the Mesoamerican pyramid
was to elevate the temple; occasionally it served as a ruler’s
mausoleum (as in the outstanding example of Palenque).
However, the pyramid could lack a temple altogether (as in
the twin-pyramid complexes of Tikal), or it could have twin
staircases leading to two clearly differentiated temples (as oc-
curs during the last three centuries before the Spanish con-
quest).
The Mesoamerican tradition of not razing buildings to
the foundation before undertaking new construction is for-
tunate for archaeology. As a result of much remodeling, ex-
pansion, and superimposing, which on occasion generated
artificial acropolises (the particularly high and compact clus-
ters of buildings that resulted from centuries of adding new
layers of construction, as found at the North Acropolis of
Tikal), the remains of temples, dismantled only to a certain
height to become part of the fill for a new building, reappear
bit by bit from their burial ground to tell us the history of
their city, their gods, and their rulers. While the effigies of
deities (as well as the sacrificial stone) speak to us about a
place designed for rituals, other features, particularly among
the Maya (where we find so many roof combs, stelae, and
other dynastic records), suggest the self-glorification of a rul-
ing prince.SEE ALSO Iconography, article on Mesoamerican Iconogra-
phy; Pyramids, overview article.9066 TEMPLE: MESOAMERICAN TEMPLES