page_title: Temple
section_title: Mesoamerican temples
hierarchical_section_title: Temple / Mesoamerican temples
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: El Castillo (Pyramide des Kukulcán) in Chichén Itzá English: El Castillo (pyramidd of Kukulcán) in Chichén Itzá Français&#160;: El Castillo (trad.&#160;: «&#160;Le Château&#160;»), ou pyramide de Kukulcán, à Chichén Itzá. This &#32;image&#32;was created with Hugin.
context_page_description: A temple is a building reserved for religious or spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. It is typically used for such buildings belonging to all faiths where a more specific term such as church, mosque or synagogue is not generally used in English. These include Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism among religions with many modern followers, as well as other ancient religions such as Ancient Egyptian religion.
  The form and function of temples is thus very variable, though they are often considered by believers to be in some sense the "house" of one or more deities. Typically offerings of some sort are made to the deity, and other rituals enacted, and a special group of clergy maintain, and operate the temple. The degree to which the whole population of believers can access the building varies significantly; often parts or even the whole main building can only be accessed by the clergy. Temples typically have a main building and a larger precinct, which may contain many other buildings, or may be a dome shaped structure, much like an igloo.
  The word comes from Ancient Rome, where a templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur.
context_section_description: Temples of the Mesoamerican civilization usually took the shape of stepped pyramids with temples or shrines on top of the massive structure. They are more akin to the ziggurats of Mesopotamia than to Egyptian ones. A single or several flight(s) of steep steps from the base lead to the temple that stood on the plateau on top of the pyramid. The stone temple might be a square or a rounded structure with a door opening leading to a cella or inner sanctum. The plateau on top of the pyramid in front of the temple is where the ritualistic sacrifice took place.
  Some classic Mesoamerican pyramids are adorned with stories about the feathered serpent Quetzalcoatl or Mesoamerican creation myths, written in the form of hieroglyphs on the rises of the steps of the pyramids, on the walls, and on the sculptures contained within. Notable example include Aztec Acatitlan and Mayan Chichen Itza, Uxmal and Tikal.
caption: Temple of Kukulcan in Chichen Itza located on top of Kukulcan pyramid.
exif: {}