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. ![]() "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. ![]() 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. ![]() |