Kabah
South of UXMAL, and connected to the larger city by a sacbe, or Mayan road,
sits Kabah. While almost certainly subordinate to its northern neighbor,
Kabah was nonetheless an important location in its own right, and greets
today's visitors with its own special ambiance.
The best-known structure here is the Palace of the Masks, an imposing
building used for religious rituals and other state ceremonies. Its
terrace contains extensive hieroglyphic texts behind an altar that may
well have been used for human sacrifice. Carved panels, doorjambs and
lintels make this a breathtaking example of the incredibly advanced and
complex Mayan stone carving art.
The people of Kabah grew crops, participated in the great Mayan trade
routes, and kept a wary eye to the north. The relationship between
smaller cities and larger ones could change dramatically with the
ascension of the new ruler in either location. A benevolent protector
might be succeeded by a ruthless tyrant, eager to accrue greater glory by
capturing slaves and increasing his dominance; a willing subject-king might
be succeeded by an ambitious rebel, eager to gain fame by freeing his city
from the dominance of a powerful neighbor. The succession of a new ruler
was a major event in the Mayan world, and one can imagine that spies from
many nearby city-states were among the throngs gathered to watch the
rituals and pageantry that marked the beginning of a new reign.
Today, Kabah sits silently, its days of intrigue and influence faded into
the depths of history. But the visitor willing to sit among the ruins, to
cast an inquisitive eye over the glyphs and carvings and to picture the
color and life of a past millennium will be well rewarded by this
compelling reminder of an ancient age.
Sayil
A rarity among Mayan sites of the Yucatan, the ancient city of Sayil
actually sits amid several steep hills. From the steps of its Great Palace,
one looks out at the ruins of several other significant structures,
including a ball-court and several smaller palaces. Altars and stelae are
plentiful, as are the ruined foundations of thousands of small dwelling
structures. A series of causeways links the various building clusters,
providing a relatively clear picture of the plan of the city.
As many as 10,000 people may have lived in the central area of Sayil during
its peak years, roughly 800 to 1000 AD, with perhaps another 5000 to 7000
in the surrounding farming areas. Sayil's downfall appears to have been
rapid, quite possibly the result of invasion and destruction by the
powerful warriors of CHICHEN ITZA.
Though small, Sayil is a beautiful and important Mayan site, with some
fascinating architectural details and well-preserved hieroglyphics. With
ongoing research and reconstruction, this city continues to come back to
life, and perhaps one day to tell us the story of its brief glory and
abrupt decline.
Labna
Originally discovered and partially rebuilt in the 19th century, Labna has
been somewhat neglected since then. Located only about six miles from
Sayil, Labna's structures are similar in style and scope, suggesting a close
relationship between the two cities.
The largest structure in Labna is a pyramid, which is topped by a
partially-collapsed temple that was most probably added at a later date.
The central palace area is entered into through a well-restored, Puuc-style
archway that is considered one of the finer examples of this type of
architecture.
It is likely that this city too fell before the onslaught of the mighty
Itza. Until more work is done here, however, the story of Labna remains
largely hidden among the collapsed buildings and the encroaching underbrush.
Dzibilchaltun
Located in the northwestern Yucatan less than fifteen miles from the coast,
Dzibilchaltun is sometimes overlooked when the major Mayan cities of the
region are considered. Nonetheless, this city and its surrounding area
were home to about 8000 structures and a population of some 25,000 people
at their peak around 800 AD.
While the ruins here cannot rival the magnificence of UXMAL or CHICHEN ITZA,
Dzibilchaltun is still an important site. Some of the building rubble from
several structures has been consolidated in the restoration process,
resulting in a smaller number of attractively reconstructed buildings.
The most famous is the Temple of the Seven Dolls, an architecturally
valuable relic originally built around 700 AD. As so many early Mayan
structures were, this temple was built over by later rulers of the city,
and the current excavation has left clear evidence of the overlaying
pyramid.
The chief activity at Dzibilchaltun was agriculture, an ongoing struggle
in this dry region with so many mouths to feed. The low land and proximity
to the Gulf did allow the people here to produce large amounts of salt, a
major Mayan trade commodity and most likely the source of the city's
prosperity.
In addition to the Temple of the Seven Dolls and several other structures,
some interesting carved stelae make Dzibilchaltun, if not a "must-see"
site, still well worth visiting, especially for those interested in
developing a more comprehensive picture of what life was like for the Maya
a thousand years ago.
Tulum
Staring out for eternity over the turquoise waters of the Mexican
Caribbean, the temples of the walled city of Tulum present a unique aspect
of the Mayan legacy. Astronomy and celestial navigation, maritime trade,
even weather forecasting were among the Maya achievements at this small
but powerful city state.
Tulum rose to prominence around 1200 AD, in what is referred to as the
Post-Classic Period in Mayan history, a little more than three hundred
years before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors. Though none of its
buildings is particularly large, they are among the most beautiful of
Mayan structures, with their dramatic rise against the craggy Yucatan
coastline.
The dominant pyramid is the Castillo, which is also noted for the extensive,
colorful and detailed murals found inside the building. Other buildings
were used for purposes ranging from religious rites (a practice continued
well into the 20th century) to serving as an ancient form of lighthouse for
the immense seagoing canoes the people of Tulum used in their trading,
which was a key source of wealth for the city. Indeed, the beach which
served as the city's "port" is clearly evident as a break between the short
cliffs that typify the coast at this point.
Tulum was inhabited until the conquistadors arrived. Like ports and
trading centers throughout history, Tulum was one of the first places to
encounter the invaders from across the sea -- and one of the first to
taste the bitter fruit of conquest.
Today, Tulum again stands proud, as one of the more popular Mayan sites
for visitors. Its breathtaking backdrop and finely-wrought architecture
give it a beauty unlike any other ancient Mayan city; as it always was,
Tulum is truly unique.
Coba
One of the largest cities of the Mayans, Coba rose to prominence in the
Late Classic period of Mayan History, in 600 AD, and eventually fell
before the might of CHICHEN ITZA sometime around 950 AD. At its height,
the Lords of Coba ruled over a huge territory, exacting tribute from small
city states hundreds of kilometers away.
Among the great achievements
of the people of Coba were towering pyramids, advanced agricultural
practices (essential for feeding the 30,000 people estimated to have lived
within the city itself), and the building of a system of roads that linked
virtually the entire dominion together. These roads, or sacbe, were
tremendous aids to commerce -- and to the waging of war.
Several small nearby lakes made Coba a rarity among Mayan sites: a city
with abundant water. Given that other locations rose and fell with their
water supplies, these lakes no doubt contributed to the prominence and
longevity (it is among the longest-inhabited of all Mayan cities) the city
achieved.
The largest structures at Coba are the huge Late Classic temple called
Nohoch Mul and a giant pyramid called the Castillo. Both rise more than
75 feet above the surrounding forests. Many other structures are still
being excavated and even discovered, emerging from the cloak of a thousand
years of overgrowth.
Because Coba is still in the fairly early stages of discovery and
reconstruction, it offers visitors a fascinating look at the lengthy and
complex process of restoring Mayan cities. Coba also benefits from the
vastly increased scholarly knowledge of Mayan architecture -- and Mayan
life in general -- as experts painstakingly piece together this mammoth
site. The gratuitous destruction and historical errors that have flawed
other locations have not been visited upon Coba, leaving us to speculate
that once this restoration is complete, the city may rival the greatest of
all Mayan centers. Today's visitors have the privilege of seeing the
story as it first begins to unfold, an epic tale still in its early
chapters.
The last of the great Mayan city-states was Chichen Itza, which flourished
from roughly 900 AD to 1200 AD, when internal struggles among its elite
weakened the city sufficiently that it fell to its eastern rival, the
city-state of Mayapan.
Uxmal is acclaimed to be the architectural masterpiece of the Maya
civilization. The Great Pyramid, the Palace of the Governors, the House of
the Magician and the Nunnery Quadrangle are magnificent structures; and the
extensive restoration work performed at this site gives visitors a
spectacular experience of the scope and grandeur of this powerful city.
