Easily, the greatest civilization in Central America was the Maya. They were outstanding in many different ways. For example, they built magnificent cities with huge pyramids and temples, yet they had no knowledge of the wheel or metal tools. The great Mayans developed an advanced system of writing, mathematics and astronomy, which they used to calculate an accurate calendar. They lived in a society where religion was part of their daily life. T

Overall, the Mayan and Egyptian pyramids are some of the most awe-inspiring buildings ever created. They both required massive manpower, people to believe in religion, and work together, had simple tools such as the “plumb bob” to measure levelness and vertical accuracy, had similar materials to build the pyramids, with limestone being the most abundant, both used a glue to hold everything in the building together, and built them for religious purposes. There are so many similarities people must wonder how could it be, two cultures more than 2,000 miles away build pyramids that are so alike? The only notable differences is that Mayan pyramids are bilaterally built, and Egyptian pyramids are symmetrical on all sides, and their religious purpose for which the pyramids were created for. Other than that, there are no major differences. I find it amazing that people from such a long time ago can be so sophisticated and build structures that boggle even the best archaeologists in the world as to how it is possible that they were created without the wheel or modern tools and technology. It really shows the world that there are no limits to the human race; when you put your mind to it, anything can be accomplished.

After the initial construction of gathering the people and tools, next comes the actual construction and design of the pyramids. In Mayan culture, the materials used for building structures were normally types of stone found in the area surrounding the city. Limestone was plentiful in most of the Mayan settlements. Granite was also available, but limestone was the most abundant. There were usually quarries right outside the city where they would get their blocks for construction. They would chisel away the stone around the block that they wanted and then undercut it(Benson 38). The stones that they pulled from the quarry would be refined by chipping and flaking to a flat surface(Benson 40). That was not all though, because mortar was also used on their construction projects. They made the mortar by burning limestone in a very technical process. They layered the limestone with wood and put a cylinder or pipe up the middle of the stack. Next they burned the pile to make the mortar(Benson 38). To the Mayans the outside appearance of their buildings was much more important than the inside. The temples were decorated with roof combs which sat at the top, outside edge along the front side of the temple(Stierlin 99). The mortar’s main usage was to finish the outside of buildings, coat floors, make sculptures, and it also helped keep everything in place(Benson 43). As for the architecture of the pyramids, the Mayan architects did not build in right angles as we do today, for they relied heavily on bilateral symmetry. They would also build one temple over another(Benson 46). There could be several temples under one pyramid. Meanwhile in Egypt, the Egyptians used nearly the same materials. The Great Pyramid’s core was constructed of 4,000- to 40,000-pound blocks of soft limestone, the outer layer of the Pyramid was made of a beautifully bright, protective layer of polished stone (Cohagan). These outer "casing stones" are missing today because about 600 years ago they were stolen by Arabs; this protective covering was made up of 100-inch-thick, 20-ton block of har

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