The best known archaeological sites in North America to the public are probably the temples of the classic Maya civilization (~AD 250-900). Uxmal, Bonampak, Tulum, Copán, Tikal—these sites in Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala are great attractions for people drawn to marvel at big prehistoric stone temples.
Nunnery Quadrangle Plaza at Uxmal. Photo by Esparta Palma
An interesting but largely overlooked component of these temples are the plazas—large open spaces around which some of the largest temples are organized. These open spaces were of importance to the Maya themselves, who used them as places for festivals and ceremonies. This element was documented in an interesting set of articles and a recent book by Takeshi Inomata.
To help you enjoy this interesting aspect of the Maya civilization, I've put together a photo essay of the plazas of a few of the important Plazas of the Maya.
- Spectacles and Spectators: Maya Plazas
- The Role of the Plaza in Maya Festivals, more detail on Inomata's work
- Guide to the Maya Civilization
Comments
Hi Kris, My husband and I always dreamt of doing escavation and exploration work, as it has always been a passion we wanted to explore. I am a excellent cook, computer literate and have been in the legal’, computer industry and owned a restaurant and now a lodge .– therefor have exstensive knowledge in the hospitality industries. He on the other hand is technical engineer, has been in the computer industry for yearsand co-owns a lodge with myself. We are thinking of selling our business, as to seriuosly getting involved in your line of work. What will it entail to get involved?
Kind Regards
Trudie
Well, I won’t kid you: the economy has put a major ding in the excavations going on in the world. Although your skill sets would definitely be of use to archaeological excavations (as housing experts, to help people find suitable housing), even during the plum years of the last decade or so, most archaeologists find their own housing, and it’s very rarely high-end.
But: if you are interested, anyway, you should probably sign up for a field school and try it out over your vacation next year, before you chuck it all–find out if you like it, if you see what I mean. Here’s where you can get started:
Careers in Archaeology:
http://archaeology.about.com/od/questionoftheweek/qt/career_query.htm
Alternate Careers in Archaeology
http://archaeology.about.com/od/alternatecareers/Career_Paths_in_Archaeology.htm
What is a Fieldschool?
http://archaeology.about.com/cs/forbeginners/a/fieldschool.htm