| Kohunlich, Dzibanche, Chacchoben, Oxtankah
Kohunlich was the center of a powerful dynasty with links to the Rio Bec area of Campeche and also to Peten (Guatemala). Studies show the site was occupied around 200 B.C. A surge of construction occurred in the Mayan Early Classic period (A.D. 500600). The city flourished between A.D. 600 and 1000. For unknown reasons it was abandoned sometime after 1200.
The ruins were discovered in 1912 by explorer Raymond Merwin. Kohunlich is not a Mayan word. The name was a reference to a nearby logging camp "Cohoon Ridge" (the cohune is a palm tree). After a little phonetic distortion, it became Kohunlich.
The site is famous for its "portraits carved in stone," which stand about six feet tall, adorning the sides of the Temple of the Masks. The masks testify to the complexity of Mayan society, and represent ancient rulers portrayed with features of the sun god, Kinich Ahau. You also see the Plaza of the Acropolis, the Plaza of the Stelae, Plaza Hundida, and Plaza Merwin.
Dzibanche is southern Quintana Roo's most important Mayan site. It flourished from around A.D. 300 to 1200. It was discovered by Thomas Gann in 1927 who called it "Dzibanche" ("written in wood" in Maya), referring to carvings found on the wooden lintels of Temple VI.
The Chacchoben ruins were largely unexplored until 1999, and much remains to be uncovered. It apparently dates from the A.D. 360 period. Preliminary discoveries reveal it played an important role in the distribution of precious items such as rare wood, jade, and exotic birds.
The Oxtankah ruins are part of the tour that begins with a visit to the Mayan Culture Museum in Chetumal, capital of Quintana Roo. The museum is divided into six galleries creating a state-of-the-art introduction to the fascinating ancient Mayan world. The tour also visits the ruins of the Mayan city of Oxtankah, which dates from A.D. 200 to 600. It was unearthed in 1913, and is as yet the only Mayan site discovered containing the remains of a Spanish chapel.
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