The presence and majesty of the Mayan temples and pyramids leave visitors to the present day Yucatan Peninsula in awe. For centuries, archeologists and historians have been baffled as to why the ancient Mayan civilization chose to erect massive stone structures. Some experts believe the pyramids were created as a type of calendar. Others believe they were built as a place to worship the civilization’s gods or other deity. The Mayans could use the structures as a place to leave gifts for the gods such as human sacrifices or monetary contributions. However, the main reason many believe the temples and pyramids were built was as an outward sign of the Mayan kings’ power and strength.
The Mayan people lived and thrived in the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico from 250 B.C. to approximately 900 A.D. when they collapsed.[1] The domain of the Mayan empire covered all of the modern day Mexican countries of Tabasco and Chiapas, all of Guatemala, Belize, and the western portions of Honduras and El Salvador.[2] The Mayan empire covered a total of 125,000 square miles of territory.[3] The Mayan civilization was organized into kingdoms that were broken down into a variety of villages and cities. The smaller villages were most often filled with farmers who grew a variety of domesticated fruits and vegetables including corn[4] that was used as the main food source for the larger cities. The larger cities were magnificent and were generally the capitals of the Mayan kingdoms. Some of the larger cities had populations exceeding 90,000 people, which was as big or bigger than many of the European cities of the time. The larger cities not only contained fine homes for their inhabitants, but also elaborate road systems, sprawling plazas, open markets, sport fields, beautiful palaces and countless hand carved monuments. Some of the more popular carvings were of the kings Double Bird, Jaguar Paw, and Curl Nose.[5] Another important king was Stormy Sky, son of Curl Nose....