Temple of Masonry Altars by junge1
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Description
The Temple of Masonry Altars is the largest and most important temple at Altun Ha (Maya for Rockstone Pond). It rises 60-ft above Plaza 'B' and it was the last of a number of buildings constructed and dates from the first half of the 7th century AD. Excavation of this structure in 1968 revealed many burials of important officials.
The temple was probably the main focus of religious ceremonies, with a single stairway running up the front to an altar at the top. Seven layers of tombs were found under the central stairway block, now exposed.
The most impressive was the earliest. Inside the intact crypt, lying on the right wrist of the skeleton entombed there was a jade head representing the sun god Kinich Ahau. Smaller jade objects were also found, along with pottery vessels, modified shells foreign to the area, a Pyrex mirror, and a number of beautifully crafted eccentric flints. The body was originally covered by Jaguar and Cougar skins and the entire tomb was covered in red pigment.
A drawing of this structure is the logo of Belize's leading brand of beer, 'Belikin'.
The pictures for the previous upload were taken from the top of this temple.
This picture was taken on 3 December 2010,
Sig...
Comments (41)
kgb224
Outstanding capture my friend.
lyron
Fantastic picture!!
ragouc
Good shot.
jclP
Outstanding capture
GARAGELAND
You get a feeling of size with the people on the top. Super shot!
nefertiabet
Fantastischer Tempel!!! Danke für die tolle Info dazu!!!
kittybabe
very nice capture, a nice place to go to when i travel again
bazza
Fabulous capture of this structure Sig, people on top does give an idea of the size of this building!!
flavia49
splendid capture and great info!
rockstrider
Great capture Sig - the central steps look huge in relation to the people standing on top!
drifterlee
Awesome shot!!!!!!
farmerC
Exellent Shot.
Faemike55
Fantastic capture and wonderful and fascinating information
emmecielle
Excellent capture and interesting informations! :)
Dreamingbee
how interesting - fantastic shot
aksirp
thats so great, would be nice to see it in reality! stunnig!
MOSKETON
FANTASTICA IMAGEN PRECIOSA HISTORIA. GRACIAS..
flora-crassella
a wonderful image!!!!!
jocko500
wow what a place to see.
auntietk
I believe I've finally figured out a way for me to get down off a pyramid once I'd made my way to the top! I'll just crawl down backwards. It might look silly, but I don't want to miss out on anything! I love this shot, with the vegetation creeping up the side of the structure. Excellent image!
Cosme..D..Churruca
amazing capture.
bmac62
I always wanted to be an archaeologist. Wouldn't it be great to have been in on discovering these tombs and all their contents. Of course, I am thinking of it as a grand adventure when in reality it is dirty, hot, hard work. Maybe that's why I went in the Army instead;-) Super pic and info.
tofi
Oh wow! Magnificent capture indeed, with a terrific description to follow! This place is indeed very "shrine" like, and seems to keep my gaze fixed....... very special and as "old" as it is, the meaning and value is something that is priceless. What an awesome capture, subject and photograph!
Sylvia
~Stunning~ I grew up among Pyramids & Temples here in Mexico... & always Fascinating to learn about them :-} THANKS for sharing!!!
gonzojr
How beautiful this is!
jmb007
tres interessant
KarmaSong
You are very lucky to have visited these majestic ruins from pre-colombian civilizations, I keep reading a lot about the Incas, Mayas and Olmec and wish to cross the Atlantic one day in future to see what's left of them in my own eyes! A very beautiful capture, Sig!
jeroni
Fantastic image. I like very much the colors
sandra46
superb shot, a pleasure to watch it
npauling
A lovely capture of this ancient ruin and it is wonderful that it is still around for everyone to see. Thank you so much for your support with this ghastly quake after effects we are all coping with down here.