Acanceh (Mayan site)
Acanceh is the name of an archaeological site from the Mayan period in the center of the modern town of Acanceh in the Mexican state of Yucatán .
The pre-Hispanic settlement dates back to the early classical period , but was inhabited when the Spaniards arrived . Acanceh belonged to one of the larger places of the Cuchcabal Chakán . The remains of buildings that have been preserved come from the classical period of the Maya culture. Due to the modern development, the size of the pre-Hispanic city can only be determined selectively. A total of around 300 remains of constructions were located in the city and the immediate vicinity.
The pyramids
The pyramids are on the north side of the main square next to the church. The 15 m higher southern pyramid consists of three steps with stairs on all sides and has a lower side length of 32 m. The pyramid visible today is a later overbuilding of an earlier building, of which the large stucco masks on both sides of the stairs are partially preserved on all sides.
A smaller pyramid lies northeast behind the larger one; no stucco masks have yet been discovered on it. The structures continue under the adjacent houses.
The palace of the stucco friezes
Inside a younger pyramid, two adjacent palace buildings were discovered on a large platform at the beginning of the 20th century, of which the southern half has an upper half of the wall richly decorated with stucco depictions on its north facade. The length of the frieze, which is excellently preserved by the overbuilding, is around 13 m. The themes are figures of animals such as monkeys and bats in diagonally placed fields, which are associated with Mayan ideas about the underworld. The first investigation was carried out by Eduard Seler , who was partly based on photos by Teobert Maler .
literature
- Eduard Seler: The stucco facade of Acanceh in Yucatan . Meeting reports of the Royal. Preuss. Academy of Sciences 1911, Vol. 47, pp. 1011-1025, tables. 1911.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ralph L. Roys : The Political Geography of the Yucatan Maya. Washington 1957, pp. 38-39.
See also
Web links
Coordinates: 20 ° 48 '48.3 " N , 89 ° 27' 8.4" W.