Mayan Ruins in Costa Maya

Menù

Eco Parks & Attractions

You are in:

Activity |

Mayan Ruins

Chacchoben
The name Chacchoben, pronounced [CHAK•CHO•BEN], it's a Maya word meaning "Red corn". Settlement by the Maya at the site is estimated at 200 B.C., and the structures date from 700 A.D.
In 1994 the Mexican National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) excavated and restored the site, which was closed to the public until 2002.

Visitors to the site today walk a circular path that includes three excavated and restored pyramids, as well as many walls and staircases. Excavation is continuing on several mounds which are known to contain further buildings. Some structures still bear traces of the red paint with which they were originally coated, and INAH (History and Anthropology National Institute) has set up shaded areas to prevent further degradation of this pigment by the sun. Also notable at the base of the largest pyramid is a large stone slab called a stela with a Mayan hieroglyphic inscription.

It's not possible to climb the ruins. The site is surrounded by a beautiful park-like atmosphere with a lot of palms and ample shaded areas.
Chacchoben is one of the more popular ruin sites in southern Quintana Roo, with regular tourist trips from the port of Costa Maya.

Dzibanché
Dzibanché, pronounced [JEE•BAN•CHEH], means "writing on wood" in Mayan, its name comes from the fact that inside Temple 6 there is a wooden lintel that bears eight mayan glyphs that date to 618 A.D.
The site is is very old dating to 200 B.C. and it became a major city extending more than 40 sq km in the Mayan area in the Classic period around 200 A.D.; expert believe that Dzibanché reached its peak between 300 and 1200 A.D.

Temple of The Lintels (Temple 6, in spanish "Palacio de los Dinteles") is a perfect spot to orient yourself for the rest of the site: facing Edificio 6's steps, you are looking east. It's a pyramid topped by a temple with two vaulted galleries; the base dates from the early Classic period (AD 300-600), while the temple is from the late Classic period (AD 600-900. Climb the steps and stand directly under the original lintel on the right (south) side of the temple. Looking up you can see a Maya calendrical inscription with the date working out to AD 733. This is some old wood.

The "Must See" structures are the "Temple Of The Owl" and the "Temple Of The Lintels."

Dzibanché archaeological site is definitely worth a visit for its secluded, semiwild nature; in the ruin's garden there are giants Ceiba, the Maya sacred tree.

Kinichná
Kinichná means "House of the sun" is a fairly old city built in the time frame of 200-600 A.D.
The principal building at Kinichná is the Acropolis, a splendidly proportioned structure; it soars above the plain dwarfing the smaller buildings and terrace that surround it.

Kinichná is actually an outlying part of Dzibanché (three kilometers separate them so you can plan on seeing all in the same day) and its temples resemble those of the core site in terms of its fine stone carvings and architectural style.

While Kinichná is small, its largest temple is huge and it's possible to climb it; from its top you can see a good example of a Mayan Arch and admire a beautiful landscape.

Kohunlich
Kohunlich, pronounced [KOE•HOON•LEECH], is a large archaeological site of the pre-Columbian Maya, the site was settled by 200 B.C. but most of the structures were built in the Early Classic period from about 250 to 600 A.D. The site covers about 21 acres, surrounded by dense sub-tropical rainforest.
Kohunlich was a flourishing city with a large population, it was elaborately planned and engineered, with raised platforms and pyramids, citadels, courtyards and plazas surrounded with palace platforms, all laid out to channel drainage into a system of cisterns and an enormous reservoir to collect rainwater.

Kohunlich is best known for its Temple of the Masks (in spanish "Tempo de los Mascarones"), an Early Classic pyramid whose central stairway is flanked by three meters-high masks that represent the Sun God "Kinich Ahau", at the height of his power as he journeys across the daytime sky. These masks are some of the greatest treasures in the Mayan world, they face west so that the setting sun can light there faces at the end of each day.
In 1969 when looters discovered the site the removed some of the outer covering of Structure I, they were in the process of removing the giant masks and unfortunately now just remains 3 intact masks.
These masks depict an individual coming froth from an upper and lower mask with the breath of life in his nostrils. The lower mask is the earth monster and upper the astral world, indicating that the wearer of this headdress is among the living and not in the other worlds. The eyes suggest that the individual is associated with the sun god and the god of the night who brings light to the world of the dead. One archaeological interpretation states “The ceremonial aspects of these masks represent the sun, the star itself and the king with whom it was associated.” Of particular interest, both the Temple of the masks and the Temple of the 27 steps, have 27 steps, a number of particular interest in both the Jewish and Mayan worlds.

You can try to imagine what aspect had the pyramid with its masks in the ancient times, when the Mayas reached it through the courtyard, now buried.
Not far, there are the rests of a vast residential area where the trees now grow on the steps of the pyramids, a great place to shot beautiful pictures.

Custom Search

mahahual.costamaya@gmail.com