The Urban Structure of the Classic Maya Cities

Abstract

The Classic period of Maya civilization marks the peak of large-scale construction and urban complexes. But did
urban planning already exist in Maya cities? The study by Andrea Peiró Vitoria considers different perspectives,
with special emphasis on composition aspects, and starts from the analysis of the existent cartography. First
of all, the creation of a homogeneous cartographic database makes possible the comparative studies between
different sites. The use of this new database allows to provide a selection of cites that represents a varied and
comparable sample. An urban analysis methodology is used to identify the main composition characteristics
of each site and a comparative research is conducted to establish common patterns, criteria for spatial
arrangements, and evolutionary theories. Even though every site has its own peculiarities, this research work
identifies compositional and geometrical features and topological repetition with a clearly intended order and
orientation that prove that urban and land-use planning existed in Maya cities.