What type of house did the Mayans live in?

Answer 1

Mayans lived in small houses, usually one or two rooms, made of wood (or occasionally stone), with thatched roofs. The houses were built out in the open to maximise exposure to the sun, so the thatched roof would not rot. Walls were often made of a wooden frame covered with adobe and then layered over with lime to whiten it. The Mayans used materials from the nearby rainforests to make their houses.

Often there was a single main door which faced east. One of the rooms was used as a bedroom, shared by the whole family. The other room was the equivalent of a kitchen/living room, and often contained seats, benches and stools, pottery, baskets and cooking items. It was used for eating and socialising.

Floors may have been covered with a simple lime plaster. Some had a gravel base known as "sascab". Cooking itself was usually done outside, or else a second hut was constructed as a kitchen.

Mayan houses were clustered together in family groups around a central courtyard. Small villages were made up of groups of these extended family compounds. Priests and wealthy people lived in the Mayan cities, which were centres for ceremonial worship and festivals. They had a variety of temples for different purposes.