(ORDO NEWS) — In addition to historical information, the article presents a collection of aerial photographs of ancient American pyramids. Did you know that the largest pyramid on Earth is in North America?
From school, we remember that the largest pyramid in the world is located in Egypt and is called the Pyramid of Cheops (Khufu) or the Great Pyramid of Giza. Yes, among the Egyptian pyramids, it is perhaps the largest. But it turns out that there are buildings and more impressive.
Not far from the Mexican city of Puebla, on a huge hill, stands the Catholic Church of the Blessed Virgin Comforter. But this hillock is not at all a freak of nature, but an ancient pyramid of the Toltec tribe.
It is called Cholula or Tlachiualtepetl (Nahuatl – “man-made mountain”) and exceeds the pyramid of Cheops in volume by two times, and in terms of base area – four times.
Thousands of years ago mankind built pyramids all over the world. Almost everywhere we decide to look, sooner or later we will stumble upon ancient pyramids that have stood the test of time.
Pyramids are everywhere. In Africa, Asia, Europe and the entire American continent, from north to south.
Some of the oldest pyramids on Earth are believed to have been built over 5,000 years ago in Brazil. According to scientists, only in Brazil there were up to a thousand pyramids.
In addition, thousands of other pyramids were built further north throughout Central and North America.
Pyrmaidomania is believed to have begun in Egypt during the reign of Pharaoh Djoser of the Third Dynasty. Egyptologists believe that the Step Pyramid of Djoser, the first in Egypt, was built about 4,700 years ago and was the result of the evolution of the mastaba tomb.
The Step Pyramid of Djoser is the centerpiece of an extensive maritime complex in a vast courtyard surrounded by ceremonial structures and decorations.
In total, the pyramid complex of Djoser covers an area of ​​15 hectares (37 acres) and is about 2.5 times larger than the Old Kingdom city of Hierakonpolis.
But even before Djoser, about 300 years, halfway around the globe, in what is now Brazil, a mysterious “lost” civilization erected some of the first pyramids on the surface of the planet.
Unlike the pyramids built in Egypt, their pyramids were not built from multi-ton stones, but were made from less durable materials, mainly from sea shells.
Despite the lack of massive stones, some of these pyramids have stood the test of time. Unlike their Egyptian counterparts, the Brazilian pyramids don’t look very similar today.
Most of them are barely visible and are still mistaken for huge piles of rubble or debris. Many of them have long been overgrown with a thick layer of vegetation, which is one of the main reasons that many pyramids were destroyed in the 20th and 21st centuries, as people considered them nothing more than rubble.
Many of them were destroyed, and their materials were reused in the construction of modern settlements and buildings.
Strangely, the same thing happened thousands of years earlier in ancient Egypt, when many of its pyramids were deliberately destroyed and their materials were used in the construction of various buildings throughout Egypt. Is nothing ancient no longer sacred to us?
The Brazilian pyramids were massive monuments. One Brazilian pyramid, located near the city of Jaguaruna, covers a total area of ​​25 acres. It is believed that the height of the pyramid was once more than 167 feet.
Elements of some Brazilian pyramids resemble those found on some Central American pyramids. For example, archaeologists have found traces of structures built on top of the pyramids, resembling altars or miniature rooms.
However, the Brazilian pyramids are 3000-2000 years older than some of the pyramids in Central America. Thus, it remains unlikely, though not impossible, that cultures in the Americas were in contact more than 3,000 years ago.
The Brazilian pyramid quickly appeared and disappeared. Eventually, quite independently, the cultures of Central America developed their own versions of the pyramids. However, unlike the pyramids built in Brazil, many pyramids in South, Central and North America were built from much more durable materials.
There are several examples in Peru. The Pyramids of Caral – Caral was also a city and an empire – are among the oldest pyramids in the Americas.
Some argue that his pyramids rival those of Brazil as the oldest on earth. Among archaeologists, this ancient city is considered the most extensively studied site in the Andean region, with convincing evidence that its age exceeds 2,600 BC.
Moreover, it has been suggested that Caral may have served as a model for later urban design developed by Andean civilizations that came and went over thousands of years.
The pyramids of Peru were numerous, but at the same time smaller than those built by the civilizations of Brazil. Unlike the Brazilian pyramids, Peru’s pyramids were made of stone and were therefore much more difficult to build.
The pyramid of Huaca Puclana is another ancient wonder of Peru, although it is built of adobe bricks and not of multi-ton stone.
Located in the Miraflores district of Lima, the pyramid is believed to have served in ancient times as the administrative and ceremonial center of Lima’s pre-Inca culture.
It is believed that this adobe pyramid was built about 1,500 years ago. Similar pyramids exist in Peru, such as Huaca del Sol and Huaca de la Luna.
The Peruvian pyramid of Huaca del Sol is a massive structure built from a mind-boggling 130 million adobe bricks. It is believed to have been built around 450 AD. and is the largest pre-Columbian adobe structure ever built in the Americas.
Farther north, in what is now Bolivia, numerous ancient civilizations built intricate structures. One particular site in Bolivia is of great interest to scientists; Tiwanaku (Tiwanaku).
This is one of the largest settlements in South America. Its area is about 4 square kilometers. Akapana is located here – a cruciform step pyramid 357 meters wide, 197 meters wide and 16.5 meters high.
There are many other pyramids throughout South America, and we could not cover them all in one article.
Moving further north from Bolivia, we begin to explore the territories of the ancient civilizations that inhabited Central America.
Some of the most sophisticated and complex ancient cultures developed here over the millennia. The Aztecs, Mayans, Olmecs are just some of the many civilizations that erected the most massive monuments in Mesoamerican history.
There are a number of small pyramids in Belize. The archaeological site of Caracol houses one of the tallest pyramids in Belize. The pyramid, called Kaana, is triadic.
In Guatemala, there is a temple-pyramid, the total volume of which is estimated at more than 2,800,000 cubic meters, which makes it one of the largest pyramids on Earth, even larger than the Great Pyramid of Giza. The pyramid is known as La Danta and it was built in the ancient city of El Mirador.
On the territory of modern Mexico, southeast of the state of Campeche, are the ruins of the ancient city of Calakmul, a Mayan city, whose name translates as “the city of two neighboring pyramids.” His pyramid, known as Structure II, is one of the tallest pyramids in the region, at over 45 meters (148 ft).
The pyramid complex of La Danta, jutting out of the jungle. Dennis Jarvis from Halifax, Canada.
One of the tallest Mayan pyramids in Calakmul.
Another series of striking pyramids can be found in the ancient city of Tikal (Guatemala). The tallest pyramid in Tikal is the structure known as Temple IV. This pyramid is not only the tallest in Tikal, but is also considered one of the tallest and most voluminous structures in the Mayan world.
Here is a stunning view of Tikal and one of its pyramids, defying the surrounding fog.
Do you see that the top of one of the Tikal pyramids is not inferior in height to the fog?
One of the most impressive and important cities of the ancient Maya was Chichen Itza, located on the Yucatan Peninsula in what is now Mexico. His pyramid, named El Castillo, is one of the most famous Maya structures in the world. Here is an aerial photograph of the pyramid.
Here is another point of view:
Traveling further into modern Mexico, we came across a series of unique pyramids in the state of Veracruz. In the ancient city of El Tajin is the so-called Pyramid of Niches, which, in fact, is a massive stone temple that served as a calendar.
The outer decoration of the pyramid consists of 365 niches, not counting those hidden under the stairs, and including those that divide its central part into two halves. They are believed to represent the solar year.
Central Mexico is home to some of the most impressive pyramids. The ancient city of Teotihuacan is perhaps the most impressive pre-Columbian city of Central Mexico.
Here are some of the largest pyramids that were built thousands of years ago. The Pyramid of the Sun, Moon and the Temple of Quetzalcoatl are three of his majestic pyramids. Here’s what these ancient structures look like from the air.
The largest pyramid on Earth is also located in Mexico. According to legend, the Great Pyramid of Cholula was built by a giant.
Although there is no written evidence of the construction of the pyramid, experts suggest that it was built starting from the 3rd century BC.
According to experts, the total volume of the Great Pyramid of Cholula is more than 4.45 million cubic meters.
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, its incredible size means it ranks as the largest pyramid and largest monument built on the planet.
The most interesting thing is that this giant monument is almost completely hidden from view, being “inside” the hill. Not knowing what was hidden under the hill, the Spaniards built a church on its top.
Since the pyramid is not visible, this image below – the image of the pyramid and what is under the hill and the church – shows us the huge size of the pyramid.
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