Most likely, the only pyramids you learned about in school were the “Great” ones in Egypt. If you were lucky, you maybe heard that there were some in Central America, but mostly the education was all about Giza and the buried Pharaohs. However, pyramids were built as sacred architecture all over the world, from Chichen Itza (Mexico) to Indonesia; from China to the Canary Islands. If you’re traveling because you’re interested in cultures that you may not have known about before, then you have to check out these epic pyramids of the world.
1) Pyramids of Guimar (Tenerife) – Tenerife is one of the most well-traveled locales in the Canary Islands. There are plenty of hotels and cheap flights to Tenerife; this makes the Pyramids of Guimar a great first “Pyramid That’s Not In Egypt” to see. Built out of volcanic rock and fitted together without mortar, these pyramids are mysterious in that a) they’re comparable in size to all the major pyramids of the world, yet b) no one knows who built them. There are all kinds of stories involving Gnostic Christians, Freemasons, or even Aztec traders before the first millennium, but no one knows for sure. That’s why they’re so interesting.
4) Brihadeeswarar Temple (India) – Sacred to the Tamil Emperor in the 11 Century BC, Brihadeeswarar was literally where the king became a god. By ascending the tower and being anointed by the priests, the emperor could proceed to speak with the voice of Shiva, the Auspicious Deva, the lord of the dance. The temple complex, located in the city of Thanjavur, contains numerous examples of Indian pyramidal architecture, as it was added to at many points between the 11th and 16th Centuries.
5) Chichen Itza (Mesoamerica) – One of the most famous pyramid complexes in the world, Chichen Itza (literally “the mouth of the well of magic”) is where Maya priests sacrificed human beings so that their blood might spill into the well of magic for the good of the whole. The complex is thought to be an entire “holy city” of sorts, complete with living quarters for the king and queen, a ball court for entertainment, and a steam bath for relaxation. The draw of Chichen Itza is the ability to explore the ancient holy city of a people now long gone, and to imagine yourself in their shoes.
