Camboya

ARCHITECTURE Its structures were lost and forgotten for centu- ries. The jungle gradually concealed the architec- tural treasures built by a succession of Khmer kings since the year 802. In 1600, Spanish and Portuguese missionaries described an amazing city, but they were ignored. It was not until the 1860s that French naturalist Henri Mouhot and artist Louis Delaporte unveiled the glory of Khmer art and its Angkorian capital, which were still half buried under the jun- gle. Some believe that the main structure of the temples embodies Mount Meru, a mythical moun- tain that was home to the gods in Hindumythology. Other smaller towers symbolize different sacred mountains of the sky, while their courtyards recre- ate themountain ranges and themoat to the cosmic ocean. The causeway establishes a bridge that leads men to the presence of the gods. The vestiges of the temples that today astonish both locals and foreigners, such as Angkor Wat— the only one that was never abandoned, in addition to Preah Vihear, Sambor Prei Kuk, Samrong Sen, Anlong Phdao, Melou Prei or Laang San—repre- sent only part of this treasure, which still remains hidden or that has disappeared through time or alternate causes. Today we know that the Angkor builders used sandstone as the main construction material, laterite and wood—the latter has disap- peared due to decomposition and other unknown events. The element that agglutinated them has not been identified. 4. Angkor Wat. 5. Templo Banteay Srei. / Banteaytemple. 3 ·amura· 115 herencia cultural • culture and heritage “One of these temples (Angkor Wat)—a rival to that of Solomon, and erected by some ancient Michelangelo— might take an honorable place beside our most beautiful buildings. It is grander than anything left to us by Greece or Rome. Henri Mouhot. 4 5