Signpost (PDF 124K)
We have seen the revetment wall up close in the first stop; the entire Temple Terrace from up high in the second stop; and the staircase from the "keyhole" in the third stop. We are now at the base of the staircase, ready to climb its 24 steps. We can safely assume that this was more than a utilitarian staircase, simply built to go from one place to another; that it was, also, an ideological link between the human and the divine sphere.
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The mountain in the city
(PDF 513K)
Looking closely at the staircase, we notice typological details that support the ideological interpretation of this monumental complex. It is, as it were, a double ideology. One is religious: the ascent to the sky mirrors the descent to the Netherworld that we will see later in our tour. The other is psychological: the Terrace echoes the mountains.
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The beginning of the end
(PDF 738K)
Half way up to the Temple, as we look back, we gain a sudden new understanding of the dramatic depositional history of the complex. For now, it is the broad view of a massive brickfall that retains our attention. The full explanation will come at the end of our tour...
