Why go
Look for the low, wide structures around plazas as well as the temple peaks. Palace rooms suggest elite residence and court activity, while small platforms could frame ceremonies. At sites such as Uaxactun and Tikal, grouped buildings also invite questions about planned sightlines and meaning.
The full story
Maya cities held several kinds of prominent building. Palaces often occupied central ground and contained small rooms within broad, decorated complexes. Their exact uses could vary, but residence and elite activity are likely parts of the picture. Low limestone platforms provided raised settings for public acts and ritual. Temple pyramids made ceremony visible above the plaza, and some also sheltered royal burials. Painted plaster and carved façades carried messages that bare stone no longer shows clearly. A different arrangement, often called an E-Group, places a pyramid opposite a line of smaller structures. Examples at Uaxactun and Tikal have been interpreted in more than one way: possible solar sightlines and symbolic accounts of creation both appear in the historical discussion. Treat those readings as interpretations, not settled functions. Walk a plaza by looking across it from several sides. The relationship between buildings may tell you more than an isolated façade.