The Mayan Culture

In Mexico there is a lot of old culture. The most well known things to see overthere are the Mayan Temples. In this section I will tell you something about the most important places in Mexico where you can find remains of the Mayan culture. Cyrus L. Lundell, a biologist employed by the Mexican Exploitation Chicle Company, visited Calakmul on December 29, 1931. Although the site was known by chicleros even before that time, Lundell was the first to make it known to the archaeological community, and in March 1932 went to Chichen Itza to report his discovery to S.G. Morley.



Morley was then creating a comprehensive catalog of dates found on Maya stelae, and writes: "So important did the ruins seem, from Mr. Lundell's description, and so many inscribed monuments did it evidently contain, that it was decided to equip an expedition for its immediate investigation in order to take advantage of transportation facilities at the time available through operations of chicle workers in the region, but which might, in another year, not be available." Lundell was responsible for naming the site Calakmul. He writes, "In Maya, ca means two, lak means adjacent, and mul signifies any artificial mound or pyramid, so Calakmul is the City of the Two Adjacent Pyramids." After the Carnegie Expeditions in the '30s, work at the site stopped for 40 years -- in part due to the extreme isolation of Calakmul -- until the 1982 project by the Universidad Autónoma de Campeche directed by William J. Folan. The site has subsequently become famous for a series of magnificent jade funerary masks unearthed by the Campeche project.


Chicanná means "Serpent-mouth House" in Maya. Chicanná was discovered and named by Jack D. Eaton in 1966 during reconnaissance of the area prior to the formal start of the National Geographic/Tulane University archaeological study centered at Becán. The ancient name of the site is not known. Chicanná and its near neighbor, Becán, were built during the same time period (roughly A.D. 600 to 830). However, the architecture at the two sites is quite distinct.

While Becán is characterized by monumental structures grouped around grand plazas, Chicanná exhibits small scale elegance and loosely scattered structures built on low platforms. There is more intact architecture and specifically more intact architectural sculpture at Chicanná than there is at Becán. Despite the difference in the scale of architecture at the two sites, the sculpture at Chicanná can give us a clearer picture of how the sculptural facades at Becán might have looked when they were intact.


"Southernmost of the Puuc sites is Etzna (or Edzna), best known for its five-storied structure which combines features of pyramids and palaces. Aerial reconnaissance has disclosed that Etzna is surrounded by a complex system of canals and reservoirs, and that a square, fortress-like structure is encompassed by a moat. Such a water-control system could have had multiple functions, such as communication, fishing, and provision of drinking water, and Ray Matheny suggests that the canals might have been connected with a raised-field system. While most of what one sees at Etzna is Late Classic in date, it is noteworthy that at least some of the canals go back to the Late Preclassic." On the picture below you see the Palace.

The Temple of Five Stories "faces west and is aligned so that on May 1st and August 13 (when the sun reaches its zenith at this location) the setting sun blazes directly into its rooms. This alignment is probably related to planting times." A central stairway, which has been restored only on the left side, ascends the west face to the fifth level temple below the tall, partly ruined roof comb. The small temple at the top contains three rooms; the back wall of the central room contained a stela, now removed, which was illuminated by the rays of the setting sun at its zenith. The five story building of Edzna exhibits various innovations in the development of Maya architecture in Yucatán.


Kohunlich is a corruption of the name "Cohune Ridge". Cohune is a species of fruiting palm common to the area. Kohunlich used to be known as Clarksville, which is how it is referred to in old maps and reports. The site is best known for its Temple of the Masks, an Early Classic pyramid whose central stairway is flanked by huge humanized stucco masks. Built around 500 A.D., this is one of the oldest constructions at the site. After 700 A.D., this temple was covered over with a Terminal Classic construction, which protected the masks and accounts for the marvelous state of their preservation today.

The only standing remains of the later temple are some steps in the lower portion of the stair. In 1969 looters reportedly discovered the site, removed some of the outer covering of Structure I, and revealed the masks. Ignacio Ek, of the nearby village of Francisco Villa, came across this work and reported it to authorities, who then took steps to protect the masks and the site, which was known locally by the name Kohunlich at that time. "The masks that serve as ornaments look towards the sunset and represent the members of the ruling lineage of Kohunlich, all gathered beneath the form of Kinich Ahau, Face of the Sun, one of the most important Mayan dieties."