Caracol

Temple in Caracol

The Maya ruins of Caracol are located in the Cayo Province in Belize ( Central America ).

The site is located in the foothills of the Maya Mountains approximately 40 kilometers south of the Xunantunich Maya ruins . The name Caracol means " snail " in Spanish , but the original Mayan name was Oxhuitza . It was not until 1937 that the archaeological site, which was once one of the dominant centers of the Maya lowlands, was discovered by loggers.

Caracol was already around 1200 BC. Settled in BC, but had its peak in the classical period from the 5th to the 9th century with an estimated population of more than 115,000 people.

Its location gave Oxhuitza access to important raw materials such as granite , slate , hematite and pinewood , which made it an important strategic center. Te 'Kab' Chaak, who ascended the throne in 331 and reigned until 349, is considered to be the founder of the ruling dynasty in Oxhuitza. In the year 553 a new ruler was installed from Tikal with Yajaw Te 'K'inich II. However, when a nobleman from Oxhuitza was executed in Tikal in 556, an open conflict broke out and eventually a break with Tikal. As early as 562 Oxhuitza was firmly on the side of Calakmul and was probably also dynastically connected to him. When Sa'aal fell from Calakmul in 626, Oxhuitza intervened militarily under K'an II. An intervention by Sa'aal against Oxhuitza in 680 forced the successor of K'an II into exile. In the end, Oxhuitza presumably triumphed in the conflict with Sa'aal - the relevant research is still ongoing. The last monument erected in Oxhuitza is a roughly worked stele that dates to the year 859 , which is also one of the last written testimonies of the classical Maya culture.

With a total length of 70 km, Oxhuitza had one of the most extensive sacbé networks in the Maya lowlands. This opened up an area of 300 km ² , which probably includes the most immediate area of influence of the city with numerous suburbs and suburbs. On an area of 88 km ² urban area 36,000 house platforms are assumed, 3,000 are proven. There are various Acropolis complexes as well as 23 steles and altars discovered so far. The largest structure in Caracol is the 43–46 meter high Caana pyramid .

Ruler in Caracol

(still incomplete - excavations are still taking place)

331-349: Te 'Kab' Chaak
around 470: K'ak 'Ujol K'inich I.
484-514: Yajaw Te 'K'inich I.
531-534: K'an I.
553-593: Yajaw Te 'K'inich II.
599–613: "Knot Lord"
618-658: K'an II.
658-680: K'ak 'Ujol K'inich II.
around 700: name unknown
Middle of the 8th century: name unknown
793: Tum Yohl K'inich
798: K'inich Joy K'awiil
810-830: K'inich Toob'il Yoaat
835-849: K'an III.
859: name unknown

literature

Nikolai Grube (ed.): Maya, god kings in the rainforest. Potsdam 2012, ISBN 978-3-8480-0033-3 , pp. 162-165, 169, 173, 198, 232, 266 and others. 443.
Joyce Kelly: An Archaeological Guide to Northern Central America: Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. Univ. of Oklahoma Pr., Norman 1996, ISBN 0-8061-2858-5 , pp. 75-84.
Simon Martin / Nikolai Grube: Chronicle of the Maya Kings and Queens. Deciphering the Dynasties of the Ancient Maya. Thames & Hudson, 2nd ed., London 2008, ISBN 978-0-500-28726-2 , pp. 84-99.
Linda Schele , David Freidel : The unknown world of the Maya. The secret of their culture deciphered. Weltbild Verlag, Augsburg 1995, ISBN 3-89350-737-X .