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Explore Kohunlich: A Majestic Mayan Archaeological City

A Mayan city that will charm you

 

Would you imagine traveling to the past to learn part of Mayan history? This is possible if you visit the Kohunlich archaeological site, which is the name of a Maya city and ceremonial center 65 kilometers away from Chetumal (Grand Costa Maya), Quintana Roo. The meaning of its name comes from the English cohoon ridge, which refers to the existence of corozo (Acrocomia aculeata) palms.

 

Walking through every Archaeological Site corner leads us to observe how the buildings were laid out and the remains of water pipes and cisterns that make us rethink the importance of this complex at the time.

 

Kohunlich, which is surrounded by forest, is a settlement built in the early Classical period around 500 and 600 A.D. In Mayan culture splendor days, it was a trade meeting point among Yucatán Peninsula cities and the rest of the Maya cities of Central America.

 

You can continue your tour in the Plaza de las Estelas (Stelae Square) and “El Conjunto de las Vías" (civic-ceremonial complexes), structures where Kohunlich reached its peak population.

 

The area is made up of several architectural ensembles with ceremonial and residential purposes. One of them is Edificio A-1 or Templo de los Mascarones (Temple of the Masks), where stand out the monumental stucco reliefs which still keep the red painting that covered the temple. It is important to mention the once high-ranking structures Gradería (The Bleachers) and El Rey.
Tourist Attraction
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    The day is sunny, there is good weather to visit and know every part of the Zona Arqueológica Dzibanché, located more than 80 kilometers from Chetumal. Its establishment dates back to 200 BC. Dzibanché means in Maya “writing on Wood”. The name refers to the wooden lintels with calendar inscriptions in the structure known as Temple VI. When you get to the place you can see the buildings which seem proud to stand upright for more than two thousand years. The site occupies an area of abou

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    On a plateau-shaped elevation in the community of La Mesilla, 12 kilometers ( 7 miles ) from Tecozautla, is the Archaeological Site of El Pahñú, which belonged to the Xajay culture, the ancestor of the current Otomi people and which had its time of splendor between the years 450 and 950 of our era. According to the studies carried out in the place, the archaeological group would have been dedicated to venerating Otontecutli, the god of the old fire. The central square is escorted by a well-

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    The biggest Mayan settlement in the south of Quintana Roo was Chacchoben, a region that is conformed with small villages that enjoyed its heyday in the year 300 b.C. When you visit the Archaeological zone of Chacchoben, you will be amazed by the Gran Basamento that is trapped in the jungle. We are talking about a staggered pyramid that used to work as a place for religious activities and public gatherings. One of the stairs allows the access to the basement where the Monumento 1 is located.