Archaeology Monday: (pt.9): Calakmul

-
Welcome to "Archaeology Monday", check back every week for a new profile and photos of some of our favourite archaeological sites!

For centuries, Calakmul was the greatest seat of power in Meso-America. The wars it fought with its great enemy Tikal to the south is the stuff of legend. Even after its eventual fall to Tikal after centuries of conflict its influence remained and it was held as marker for greatness. Today the ruins of Calakmul lay in the national park and bio reserve of the same name deep in the jungles of the greater Petén Basin region. It is 35 kilometres from the Guatemalan border. Calakmul is one of the most archaeologically dense sites within Mesoamerica. The site contains 117 stelae in paired sets which represent important events in the lives of the city and its dynasties.Though accurately calculating the size of populations in Mesoamerica is a tricky business, it is estimated the Calakmul had a population of approximately 50,000, however this number is much greater when rural settlements and vassal states are included. Calakmul administered a large domain marked by the extensive distribution of their emblem glyph of the snake head sign, to be read "Kaan". Calakmul was the seat of what has been dubbed the Kingdom of the Snake or Snake Kingdom. This Snake Kingdom reigned during most of the Classic period.

The site core of Calakmul covers an area of approximately 2 square kilometres (0.77 sq mi), an area that contains the remains of roughly 1000 structures. The periphery occupied by smaller residential structures beyond the site core covers an area of more than 20 square kilometres (7.7 sq mi) within which archaeologists have mapped approximately 6250 structures. The very "creatively" pyramids known as Structure 1,2 and 3 are some of the largest pyramids in the Mayan world with structure 2 measuring 120 metres (390 ft) square and it stands over 45 metres (148 ft) high. In common with many temple pyramids in the Mesoamerican cultural region, the pyramid at Calakmul increased in size by building upon the pre-existing temple in order to increase its bulk.

Due to its isolated location from any large urban centers and its status as a national park and biosphere, Calakmul is one of the best places in all of Mexico to observe wildlife. Several hundred species of exotic birds, primates and felines are readily observable within the park, especially if you arrive early in the morning.

Calakmul is only one of the many amazing sites such as Chicanna, Becan, Balamku, Chicanna.and many more which we will be visiting on our Southern Campeche & Quintana Roo Archaeology & Wild-Life Experience (Feb 20th to the 25th, 2020). Space is still available but it is filling up fast! For more information email Carlos at carlos.rosado@yucatandiscovery.com
Enjoy our gallery!













Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Archaeology Monday (pt.7): Dzibanche

-
Image
Welcome to "Archeology Monday" our newest feature here on YucatanDiscovery.com Check back every week for a new profile and photos of some of our favourite archaeological sites! One of the first things you notice when you arrive in Dzibanche (at least this has been true in the past) is an almost absolute lack of other visitors. Given the splendor of the site and its proximity to tourist attractions such as Bacalar and the state capital of Chetumal, the site is for some reason largely ignored by virtually all holiday makers. Dzibanche which in Maya means "writing on wood" was a large city and likely early capital of the famous Kan dynasty which ruled over Calakmul. Some researchers even claim that Dzibanche features the most ancient use of the hieroglyphic Kaan dynasty family emblem. Excavation at the site have also uncovered a hieroglyphic stairway which depict reliefs of bound captives supposedly captured by lord Yuknoon Ch´een the first. Though Dzibanche is gener
Read more

Archaeology Monday (pt.11) El Hormiguero

-
Image
Located about 45 kmfrom of Xpujil, to the very south of the state of Campeche and just a few kilometers lay the ruins of El Hormiguero (meaning ant hill in spanish) whose original name I believe has been lost to history. Due to its isolated location this site is seldom visited by tourists, which is a shame as it boasts some really impressive structures and is particularly good for spotting wild-life. Although at one time an eco-archaeological camp seems to have been set up for visitors, by the time I visited in 2018 with my good friend Zane, the camps seemed long abandoned. The road to access the site was fairly rough, though as we visited before the rainy season it was still fairly accessible. That being said there was very little in the way of signage so we had to depend almost entirely on google maps. The site was first reported by Karl Ruppert and John Dennison in the thirties, thought it was not until the late 70s that excavations first began. Archaeologists suggest that the
Read more

Archaeology Monday (pt.4): Becan

-
Image
Welcome to "Archaeology Monday" our newest feature here on YucatanDiscovery.com! Check back every week for a new profile and photos of some of our favourite archaeological sites! Located near the geographical center of the Yucatan peninsula in the Mexican state of Campeche, Becan is most famous for grandiose Rio Bec style of architecture and its particularly well developed defence systems which feature a surrounding wall and moat. Archaeological evidence suggests that Becan was first occupied by Maya peoples during the Preclassic period sometime in the sixth century BC, however most of the large scale construction in the site seems to have been erected in the third century AC with construction having basically ceased by the ninth century AC. Becan has also been the site of the discovery of significant finds which include relatively intact tombs of ancient rulers. As is the case with virtually all ancient cities in the Region, Becan owed allegiance to Calakmul. The significant
Read more