Notes

Both the Maya and the Egyptians constructed these enormous pyramids that in a way stand as memorials to their ancient civilizations. The Mayan built shrines, temples, and pyramids in honor of their gods, and their kings. Most of the Mayan pyramids were temples to the gods, the Maya did sometimes bury their rulers, but the temple always remained on the top of the pyramid no matter what. Mayan pyramids were not only burial tombs like Egyptian pyramids, whose primary purpose was funerary, containing mortuary chambers. Egyptians had temples also, but theirs would be somewhere near the pyramid or right next to it, for the ceremonial services, but it was never placed on top of the structure because Egypt's pyramids come to a point at the top (The apex). Where as a Mayan pyramid was purposely constructed with a platform to have a temple and shrines built at the top of it. Also Mayan pyramids were not pyramidal (It had a polygonal base, but its four faces/sides did not meet at a common point).