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The Maya "Columns" Structure at San Gervasio
This Maya structure located on the Mexican island of Cozumel at the archaeological site of San Gervasio has seven columns, a bench running along the inner walls, and a throne or altar in the middle of the room. The chambers along the side...
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The Maya Altar at San Gervasio
This structure had a ceremonial use for the Maya people as it lies in the middle of the plaza at San Gervasio, which is located on the island of Cozumel, Mexico. It therefore must have served as a dais from which the speaker addressed the...
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Classical Maya Incense Container
This painted incense container is made from cut stone and dates from c. 600-900 CE. Maya artisans created it in what is present-day Guatemala during the Classical era. (Musée du Cinquantenaire, Brussels)
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The Maya "Murals" Structure at San Gervasio
Aptly named, this Maya structure contains fragmented murals that were painted with vivid colors of red, blue, ochre, and black. They were originally covered with geometric motifs, stepped lines, Grecians frets, and spirals. This structure...
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The Maya "Alamo" Structure at San Gervasio
This temple was originally roofed although part of its vaulting, shaped like an inverted staircase, can still be seen on its southern side. There was once an altar within, where offerings were placed in Pre-Columbian times. The building was...
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Maya Noble Relief from Tabasco
This Maya relief depicting a nobleman is made from chalkstone, and it comes from what is present-day Tabasco, Mexico. It dates from the Late Classic Period around the year 780 CE. (Museum Rietberg, Zürich).
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Maya Ossuary Structure at San Gervasio
This structure located at the Maya archaeological site of San Gervasio on the Mexican island of Cozumel was so named as numerous human remains were found inside during archaeological excavation. The temple no longer exists, but it originally...
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Maya Marble Vessel
A Maya tripod marble vessel. Travesia, Cortés, Honduras, 600-909 CE. (St. Louis Art Museum, Missouri)
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Maya Tomb Structure at San Gervasio
This Maya building located on the island of Cozumel is named so due to the finding a vaulted tomb in its interior, unbique in San Gervasio, Mexico. The strcutre is a platform since it had no building on tiop of it — only benches — and an...
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Cuneiform: The Earliest Form of Writing from Ancient Mesopotamia
Cuneiform is a writing system or script which was developed by the ancient Sumerians in Mesopotamia between 3500 and 3000 BCE. It is the earliest form of writing in the world and is thought to have developed so people could communicate long-distance...