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Geometric and Complex Analyses of Maya Architecture: Some Examples

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Architecture and Mathematics from Antiquity to the Future

Abstract

Constructing thousands of architectural structures and developing sophisticated concepts surrounding the disciplines of astronomy and mathematics, the Maya civilization rose to a cultural florescence between the years 600 and 800 ad, and died out between 800 and 900 ad. In order to gain an interpretative perspective on the fractal analysis of complex geometry and mathematics of Mesoamerican architecture, this paper contemplates two procedures to describe fractality and the fractal dimension. In the first procedure 16 pyramids were analyzed. The authors studied a data set that was treated has a fractal profile to estimated the fractal dimension through variography. In the second procedure, 14 pyramids were included. In the third procedure, 26 pyramids were deciphered and saved as bitmap files. These images were analyzed with the program “Benoit” in order to calculate Box, Information and the Mass Dimensions. This type of study indicates a relationship between the cosmological setting and myth.

First published as: Gerardo Burkle-Elizondo , Nicoletta Sala and Ricardo David Valdez-Cepeda , “Geometric and Complex Analyses of Maya Architecture: Some Examples” pp. 57–68 in Nexus V: Architecture and Mathematics, Kim Williams and Francisco Delgado Cepeda, eds. Fucecchio (Florence): Kim Williams Books, 2004.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The measurements are approximations of the actual, and the measurements and plans of reference for our calculations were taken from (Marquina 1990).

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Correspondence to Gerardo Burkle-Elizondo .

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Burkle-Elizondo, G., Sala, N., Valdez-Cepeda, R.D. (2015). Geometric and Complex Analyses of Maya Architecture: Some Examples. In: Williams, K., Ostwald, M. (eds) Architecture and Mathematics from Antiquity to the Future. Birkhäuser, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-00137-1_8

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