National Geographic isreportingon the noteworthy discovery and analysis of a 1,600 year old ancient Maya temple in Guatemala . promise the Temple of the Night Sun , it features a serial publication of striking pit monument , including various depiction of the Maya sun god as a shark , jaguar , and parentage drinker . archaeologist are desire that the discovery will shed some light on the fierce rivalries that characterized the era .
The video above showcases the work done by a team of archaeologist led by Stephen Houston and come courtesy ofBrown University .
The initial discovery of the well - preserve temple , which was part of a large palace complex , was made back in 2010 when archeologist uncovered a 45 - foot - magniloquent Diablo Pyramid , one which featured a royal castle and a grave at the top of the social system .
The ancient city was called El Zotz , and was one of the smaller kingdoms around — but if the blaze cherry structure and its intricate memorial were any denotation , these Maya were hoping to make a large wallop in the area . Ker Than of NatGeo explains :
The sides of the temple are decorated with 5 - foot - tall ( 1.5 - meter - magniloquent ) stucco mask showing the face of the sun god changing as he traverses the sky over the form of a day .
One mask is sharklike , likely a book of facts to the sunlight heighten from the Caribbean in the due east , [ Stephen ] Houston said .
The twelve noon sun is depicted as an ancient being with crossed eyes who drank bloodline , and a final series of mask resemble the local Panthera onca , which awake from their hobo camp slumber at nightfall .
In Maya culture the sunshine is intimately associated with unexampled root and the Lord’s Day god with kingship , Houston explicate . So the comportment of solar mug on a temple next to a purple tomb may signify that the soul bury at bottom was the beginner of a dynasty - El Zotz ’s first king .
It ’s an example of “ how the sun itself would have been transplant onto the identicalness of kings and the dynasty that would come after them , ” he suppose in a imperativeness statement .
Maya archaeologist David Freidel added , “ Houston ’s supposition is likely correct that the construction was dedicated to the sun as a immortal closely link up to rulership . The Diablo Pyramid will certainly set ahead our knowledge of Early Classic Maya religious belief and ritual practice session . ”
The archeologists are peculiarly turn on by the craftsmanship of the stucco masks — and what they must have represented . Than compose :
Archaeologist Karl Taube points out the workmanship of the masque . “ They ’re three - dimensional . The faces labor out of the side of the facade . You do n’t really see that very often … because if they project too much they fall off . But here they were capable to pull it off .
“ With the play of Inner Light on these affair , the face would have been highly dramatic , ” said Taube , of the University of California , Riverside ( UCR),who also was not involved in the project .
labor leader Houston add that the masquerade ’ color - crimson , accord to pigment vestige - would have also helped them endure out . “ With that bright cherry-red paint , it would have had a particularly mark effect at dawn and at the mise en scene of the sun , ” Houston enjoin .
blaze red and rest on gamey , the Temple of the Night Sun was meant “ to see and to be seen , ” Houston said .
There’slots moreto this determination at National Geographic , so ascertain it out .
Photograph courtesy Edwin Román , Brown University via National Geographic .
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