Mayan urban planning is mainly characterised by its extensive spread over the territory. A variety of architectural groupings, structured around quadrangles, lead into and are connected by way of elevated and paved pathways. Volume and height indicate the buildings’ significance within the group. In real life, these cities had the appearance of a cluster of buildings of different heights and functions, with plastered walls, painted in different colours, and stone steles and altars in front of them denoting the date of construction.

The wealthier classes would live very near the centre, while the peasants and less privileged social groups would be situated further away, along the outskirts.

General view of Palenque, Chiapas.	General view of the model of a hypothetical Mayan city.	Detail of the model of a hypothetical Mayan city.