Techniques

Because of varied accessibility to raw materials, construction differed from region to region, affecting the general appearance of surviving architecture. For example, in the southeastern lowlands, sandstone, rhyolite, and marble were quarried and used at sites such as Quirigua, whereas trachyte was used at Copan (Sharer 1994: 631). In the

Maya highlands, pyramids were built with rammed earth and in the lowland region with stone rubble (Schele and Mathews 1998: 17). At Comalcalco in Tabasco, limestone was not readily available, so consequently fired brick and shell were used as an effective alternative (Hammond 1982: 249). Other locally acquired building materials included tuff, sandstone, slate, and dolomite. By mixing lime mortar and rock, an effective adhesive was concocted.

Transportation of quarried stone was undertaken using manpower; beasts of burden were not exploited by the Maya. It is probable that the Maya used a combination of ropes, rollers, and ramps to transport and maneuver heavier stone blocks into position (Pollock 1965: 396397). Most often dry stone rubble was used as a fill to support superstructures; soil or dressed stone was then placed over the mass. The exploitation of rich limestone beds in the northern, southern, and central lowlands by ancient builders has provided archaeologists with some of the best extant examples of Maya masonry architecture and art. Plaster produced from the burning of the limestone was also used to embellish architectural features with sculptured elements, in addition to smoothing the interior and exterior of buildings as well as surfacing plazas and courtyards (Pollock 1965: 386-389; Sharer 1994: 631).

Many of the stone structures present in Maya city centres, whilst they varied geographically, were surveyed to a relatively high degree of accuracy. The Maya considered any structural angle between 80 and 100 degrees to be a right angle and a slope of 3 degrees or less to be horizontal or flat. Some of the devices used in the planning and construction of buildings and associated sculpture were the lever, the plumb bob, and the water level (Hammond 1982: 249). The symmetry of buildings, as well as the sculpture that adorns them, is one of the first things striking the observer when viewing Maya architecture. Symmetry in architecture and sculptural design was controlled by using a cord as a measuring device. First, a section of cord was cut to a particular body length (e. g., shoulder to outstretched hand); this cord was then used as a unit of length to mark out a square to the required dimensions. Through a process of halving and stretching this cord to determine the portions of the square, this basic shape could be accurately divided or expanded to derive shapes with “golden mean” proportions (Schele and Mathews 1998: 35). To ensure the balanced and harmonious appearance of buildings and their sculptured surfaces, the Maya used this simple but elegant method of measurement.

A common characteristic of Classic Maya masonry architecture is the confined nature of interior spaces (Sharer 1994: 634). One reason for this was technological - the corbelled vault was a common component in Maya architecture that provided no structural support to the structures in which they appeared (Pollock 1965: 402). The corbelled vault was constructed by stacking successive courses of stone inward until they met at the top where a final capstone was placed. Unlike a “true arch,” in a corbelled vault, adjacent stones do not support each other, providing a powerfully incorporated whole. Consequently, the configuration is weaker, relying on massive walls to support the vault. For this reason, the widths of rooms within most Maya masonry buildings rarely exceeded 3 metres, and structures often do not exceed more than one storey (Sharer 1994: 634-637).