The Temple of a Thousand Warriors is the name given to one of the Mayan pyramids of pre-Columbian age. It was built in 1200 a.C during the post-classical age, time when that civilization began to lose power. The building is situated in the archeological city of Chichen Itzá in the Mexican’s state named Yucatán. This pyramids are very similar to the ziggurats of Mesopotamia.
In the building of the temple were used elements of the architecture of the Toltecs, one can verify the affirmation by comparing it with the temple of Tlahuizcalpantecuthi situated in Tula, ancient Toltec Estate capital. Before the Temple of a Thousand Warriors was built, there was in that place another temple, however smaller, this smaller temple had Mayan architecture, deducting by so that the newcomers have adopted methods of construction of that civilization.
Chichén Itza (Temple of A Thousand Warriors) is an improved replica of the temple of Tula, it lies in the Grand Plaza De Chichén Itza, its structure is practically the following:
ð Stepped pyramid with 4 levels;
ð Upper temple divided in 2 rooms;
ð Entrance porch with two giant rattlesnakes that support the lintel;
ð There is a large axial staircase that leads to the upper deck in front of the Chac Mool statue.
The temple is flanked by a number of small pillars 200 and columns and also more with big one they are called 1000 Columns Groups. For this building be dedicated to warriors, the finality of these columns is to represent warriors, that is where the name of the temple came from. The walls are covered with reliefs that represent Eagle’s and Jaguar’s order, also the life and rituals of the population. At the entrance there is a statue of the God Chac Mool, also known as “Red Tiger”. It is thought that the function of this temple were ritualistic and administrative. The greatest boldness of the architects of that time was to unite Mayans and Toltecs elements in only one construction. The temple became Unesco historical heritage, in 2007 was recognized as one of the seven wonders of the modern world.
As for the columns of the temple, when the city was inhabited, it may have held an extensive roof system. “ The columns are in three distinct sections: an east group, that extends the lines of the front of the Temple of Warriors; a north group, which runs along the south wall of the Temple of Warriors and contains pillars with carvings of soldiers in bas-relief; and a northeast group, which apparently formed a small temple at the southeast corner of the Temple of Warriors, which contains a rectangular decorated with carvings of people or gods, as well as animals and serpents. The northeast column temple also covers a small marvel of engineering, a channel that funnels all the rainwater from the complex some 40 metres (130 ft) away to a rejollada, a former cenote (Wikipedia)”.
Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chichen_Itza#Group_of_a_Thousand_Columns
http://www.crystalinks.com/pyramidmesoamerica.html
http://www.ecured.cu/index.php/Templo_de_los_Guerreros
