Meso-American pyramids date from the first millennium B.C. until the Spanish Conquest in the early 16th century. The earliest known pyramid is in the Mexican state of Tabasco and thought to be from 1000-400 B.C. Resembling a volcano, it was built by the Olmecs and is constructed from tampered earth and faced with clay. There is no evidence of a ramp or stairway going to the top and it could be thought of as a form of sculpture, rather than architecture (Clancy:40).
In
Teotihuacan, Mexico lies the
Pyramid of the Sun (pictured to the right), which is perhaps the most famous
pyramid in Mesoamerica. It was built between A.D. 1 and 250. Its base is square
and each side measures 730 ft. Initially it rose to 200 ft., separating into
five stepped terraces all the way up. A massive staircase climbs up the west
wall to this day. The structure is built mostly out of rubble fill and is
thought to have been faced with adobe bricks and then covered with a
cobblestone facing which is still visible today.
In the early 1900's dynamite was used to uncover certain pyramids, the Pyramid of the Sun for example. It is believed that the Pyramid of the Sun used to be covered with a final stucco coating which is gone today. It's also possible that these outer layers were added at a later date, and not part of the original design.
The pyramid's location, orientation and design are said to metaphorically represent the three levels of ancient Mesoamerican cosmos: the celestial, terrestrial and subterranean (Clancy:44). In 1971 a cave was discovered below the central point of the pyramid. It had a long passage and opened into a four leaf clover shaped room. Many artifacts were found in this room which confirmed its use as a shrine many years before the pyramid was even built (Harpur:101).
The Maya also built
pyramids stretching from Mexico to El Salvador. They were typically made from
stone blocks sealed together with a lime mortar. Steep stairways lined the
sides where only the priests were allowed to ascend for
sacrifices and other rituals (Putnam:57).
The tallest of all the Mayan pyramids is located in
Tikal, Guatemala. The temple of Jaguar
rises 230 feet. There is a chamber at the top constructed to amplify the
priests voice to be heard by all below. Below the temple a tomb of a Mayan lord
was found buried in all his glory (Putnam:58).