On Sunday, July 5th, we drove south of Mérida on the Ruta Puuc, an area dotted with ruins, cenotes and underground caverns. We found Oxkintok by accident. It was a surprisingly impressive discovery. As we drove the final four kilometers on the gravel road we were surrounded by partial ruins and unrestored pyramids. Thirty groups of buildings have been discovered at the site. Of those, three main groups have been restored in an 8 sq. km. area. The Ah May, Ah Canul and Ah Zib Groups each from separate eras of life in Oxkintok.
Archaelogists have become excited about Oxkintok in the past several years. This site is located halfway between Celestún on the Gulf Coast and Dzibilchaltún north of Mérida. The three centers are connected by sacbes, or raised white roads. In fact, the number of large constructions at Oxkintok and the abundance of sacbes proves there was a major political, economical and cultural exchange; the Maya had contact with the center of México as well as other Meso-American groups.
They've found inscriptions in the architecture here dating back to the 'Early Oxkintok' phase (300-500 AD) that tell of the Pre-Classic history of life in 300 BC. One of the large structures looks much like the pyramids of Teotihuacán outside of México City, a major Aztec site.
What’s Happening Around Here?
5 months ago
