Description

This 3D model is one interpretation of what Temple I and II's structural fundamentals would look like fully intact. Located in the Great Plaza, Temple I was built for the 26th ruler of Tikal, Jasaw. The building date is unknown as it is unclear if Jasaw built it before his death or if his son, Yik'in, constructed it in honor of his deceased father. Temple II (in the foreground) was built by Jasaw for his wife Lady 12 Macaw. This imgae was shot from Temple IV, which is the largest construction at Tikal and remains mostly unexcavated. Though its roofcomb is now eroded, Temple II has also been known as the Temple of the Masks on account of its upper frieze once having been adorned with gigantic stone and stucco masks. Roofcombs were used as grand billboards for the display of religious and political imagery. In Peten architecture, the enormous weight of these crests forced the Maya to build them upon walls that were often thicker than the narrow inner spaces of the temples they defined, a structure known as a 'corbeled vault'.

Credit: Krzysio

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Media Id: media_TIK_20080909_170206 Date Uploaded: 2008-09-09 17:02:06 Polygons: 10162 Verticies: 18323 Textured Polygons: 6434 Untextured Polygons: 3728