A labyrinth is a site made up of paths and crossroads, designed in a complex way in order to disorient anyone who ventures into it. The oldest labyrinths are located in Egypt and were square or rectangular in shape. It was only until the end of the 7th century BC that the circular ones appeared. They are classified into two groups: within the first group are the classic and unicursal labyrinths, they are those that allow, when entering it, to travel all the space until reaching the center through a single path or path, that is, no there are alternative paths that allow confusion, in this kind of labyrinth it is difficult to get lost inside it, since they have only one entrance, which is the same where it comes out.
In the second group are the maze labyrinths, which is made up of alternative paths, which means that once inside it there is the option of choosing one way or another, which will allow the exit or not of the maze. The first of this type were made in the gardens of England, in the 12th century, then they were spread throughout Europe, especially in France and Italy.
One of the best known labyrinths is the Cretan labyrinth, designed by Daedalus at the request of King Minos of Crete (hence the name) to guard his captive minotaur son (a half-man, half-bull creature). This one is inside the classic mazes.
Another classic labyrinth is the Baltic one, these have two entrances and a center, and although it has two entrances, they are within the unicursales because once you are inside it, you only have one way to get to the center, and once you are arrives, you do not follow the same path to exit, but you continue until you exit through the opposite entrance you entered through.
At present, the labyrinths are used for entertainment purposes, there are many amusement parks that have games in the form of a labyrinth, for example there is the mirror maze, where the person walks a path full of mirrors to reach the exit During the journey, the person makes a mistake and may even trip over the mirrors believing that they have reached the exit.
