Mayan Temple of the Night Sun
By tony leather, 23rd Jul 2012 | Follow this author
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Posted in WikinutTravelNorth AmericaGuatemalaGuatemala City, Antigua & Around
Likely built to honour the dead ruler buried beneath this so-called Diablo Pyramid tomb, who apparently was the governor and founder of the first - Pa'Chan - El Zotz dynasty, the name translating as fortified sky
Mayan Temple of the Night Sun
In the Guatemalan forest, on top of a pyramid tomb near the border with Mexico, archaeologists have found a 1,600-year-old Mayan Temple that seems to have been dedicated to the so-called night sun, according to team leader Stephen Houston - the joint Guatemalan and American team excavating at the El Zotz site since 2006 - and commenting that the sun was indeed a key element of Maya culture.
Mayan 2
Because our sun rises every day, penetrating every nook and cranny with its power, just as royalty would have been seen to do, the Mayans felt the need to erect buildings celebrating this close connection between royalty and our life giving star.
Likely built to honour the dead ruler buried beneath this so-called Diablo Pyramid tomb, who apparently was the governor and founder of the first - Pa'Chan - El Zotz dynasty, the name translating as fortified sky. Mayans culture was widespread in the north of the south american continent, and at its height between 250 and 900 AD.
Mayan 3
Construction of the temple - through carbon dating - appears to have happened between 350 and 400 AD, the exterior very ornately decorated with 5ft stucco masks, each of which depicts one sun phase on the east to west journey, along with other breathtaking carvings.
Over 50% of the temple is still buried, the team excavating believing that the temple probably had a total of 14 masks - with only eight as yet documented, excavations, which began at the El Zotz dig in 2006 - the temple not uncovered until 2009 - have to be continued. When fully uncovered, it is hoped that much more will be available to give clues to the still somewhat mysterious Mayan culture that built it in the first place.
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