▁and ▁ 9 0 0   AD . ▁Rec ent ▁de ci ph ering ▁of ▁May a ▁hier og lyph s ▁has ▁brought ▁new ▁understanding ▁to ▁their ▁architecture ; ▁these ▁p ict ographic ▁symbols ▁tell ▁histor ians ▁about ▁when ▁specific ▁structures ▁were ▁built ▁and ▁by ▁whom . ▁In ▁May an ▁religious ▁architecture ▁ ▁there ▁was ▁an ▁emphas is ▁on ▁height , ▁which ▁was ▁often ▁manif ested ▁by ▁vert igin ous ▁st air cases ▁that ▁reached ▁toward ▁the ▁heav ens ▁and ▁gods . ▁O ft ent imes ▁py ram ids ▁were ▁built ▁over ▁existing ▁ones ; ▁this ▁emb rac ed ▁ancest ral ▁authority ▁while ▁allowing ▁for ▁greater ▁struct ural ▁height ( s ). ▁ ▁Monument al ▁py ram ids , ▁platforms , ▁tem ples , ▁and ▁sacrific ial ▁alt ars ▁were ▁used ▁in ▁daily ▁religious ▁rit uals . ▁The ▁hierarchy ▁of ▁various ▁May an ▁cities ▁was ▁made ▁evident ▁by ▁large ▁palace ▁comp ounds , ▁and ▁k ings ▁and ▁r ul ers ▁used ▁orn ate ▁architecture ▁to ▁promote ▁themselves ▁and ▁ensure ▁their ▁imm ort ality . ▁Ro of ▁comb s ▁provided ▁variety ▁to ▁the ▁limited ▁iterations ▁of ▁May an ▁architecture . ▁ ▁Symbol ically , ▁it ▁is ▁said ▁that ▁a ▁roof ▁comb ▁was ▁the ▁he address ▁of ▁the ▁building ▁– ▁that ▁of ▁which ▁res emb les ▁those ▁worn ▁by ▁the ▁k ings ▁and ▁r ul ers . ▁It ▁was ▁not ▁ ▁enough ▁to ▁simply ▁design , ▁architect s ▁sought ▁to ▁emb ell ish ▁their ▁work ▁– ▁to ▁pay ▁t ribute ▁to ▁the ▁great ▁gods ▁and