Experts have long believed that the Mayan cities’ primary function was ceremonial, partly because this was the nature of Olmec cities. Recent work, however, has revealed that the Mayan cities had functions closer to that of Teotihuacan in that they were well-established urban centers with substantial populations that supported the religious/political leaders or the theocratic social order. The Maya cities were never built to a grid plan; more often they conformed to the irregularities of the natural landscape. Their buildings were constructed with a corbel arch (the closest Mesoamerica ever came to using the true arch), permitting greater height. They constructed their cities so that buildings were aligned with the activity of the stars.
 

The major Mayan cities are TEOTIHUACÁN nearer to Mexico City, Chichén Itzá, Uxmal of Yucatán Peninsula, Coba in Quintana Roo state of Mexico, Palenque in Chiapas state, Comalcalco in Tabasco state of Mexico, Tikal, Yaxha and El Mirador of Guatemala.

Ancient Mayan | Mayan map | Mayan cities | Mayan Government | culture | king | People |  Language |  Religion |  Gods | Temples |  Pyramids |  Rituals | Mayan Calendar |  Art |  Ball Game