Oxkintoc
Oxkintoc (also Oxkintok) is an important Mayan ruins in Mexico . It is located on the Yucatán Peninsula in the state of Yucatán , around 70 kilometers south of Mérida and around 5 kilometers east of the small town of Maxcanú . The meaning of the name is ambiguous: ox is the number “three” in Yucatec Maya , kin is the term for sun or day, while tok has several meanings depending on the pronunciation.
Research history
The first written mention dates back to the end of the 16th century, when the Franciscan Alonso Ponce visited Oxkintoc on a large part of Mexico's extensive inspection tour. His companion and secretary Antonio de Ciudad Real describes details of the ruins with some precision. The North American explorer John Lloyd Stephens gives an impressive description of the Satunsat building. Also Teobert painter , who visited the place in 1893, describes only a little more. The first detailed investigation was carried out by Harry ED Pollock . The Spanish Archaeological Mission in Mexico has been active in Oxkintoc since 1986 , and its results have been published in detail. Since 1994 a large Mexican restoration program has been working in Oxkintoc for several years under Ricardo Velázquez.
The town
Oxkintoc is a city divided into many groups of buildings. It is located on the southern slope of the range of hills that border the Puuc hill country in the north. There are other extensive ruin zones in the immediate vicinity, so that it is difficult to distinguish them from them. The individual groups now have names given by the Spanish project and which are reminiscent of well-known archaeologists, as well as traditional local names.
The importance of Oxkintoc results from the time: so far, in the archaeological Puuc region, only a few sites that can be set as early as possible have become known in the vicinity of Oxkintoc. Oxkintoc, characterized by the earliest phase of Puuc architecture named after this place, has a settlement history that extends from AD 475 at the latest (a monument with the date of the Long Count ) to the end of the Classical period .
Satunsat
This building is unique in the entire Mayan culture. Because of its peculiar shape, it attracted the interest of visitors early on, who suspected it contained undreamt-of secrets. The third floor has recently been partially restored.
The Satunsat occupies an area of approximately 20 × 10 meters. It is located in a terrain that rises slightly to the east, so that its west side has one floor more. The only entrance to the building is in the middle of the completely unadorned west facade. At 1.5 meters, it is very low and crosses a wall a good 1 meter thick, as all walls are made unusually thick.
The first and second floors each have four parallel corridors in north-south direction, which are connected by narrow door-like corridors near the center. The corridors are relatively low and have the typical stepped vaults of the early Oxkintoc style. On the first floor there are two corridors in east-west direction at the south and north end of the building, but they are only connected to the first or last of the parallel corridors. From these narrow staircases that go around corners and have very high steps lead to the level of the second floor. So you can reach every room on the second floor in two ways. The only east-west corridor on the second floor leads to a staircase with multiple angles leading to a very small room on the third level. Because the outer walls are no longer there, it is not possible to tell whether and how one had access from this small room to the three long north-south rooms on the third floor. These rooms were no longer subject to the need to carry the heavy weight of the structures above and are therefore kept wider.
The original function of Satunsat is obscure. Several numerous ventilation ducts running right through the walls of the second floor are so straight that on certain days around the equinoxes light falls into the innermost corridors for moments, so that the assumption of an astronomical function is close. It seems to be a later change of purpose when offerings were buried in the floor of the corridors and blind corridors were bricked up for burials .
Group Dzib
Of this group of buildings, consisting of relatively small buildings, just north of the Satunsat, only the ball playground (on the northern edge of the group) and south of it a building probably belonging to the pillar style have been excavated. Also noteworthy is an archway giving access to this group on the northern edge (which is not connected to a building) and to which a ramp leads up.
Group May
Like the other groups, the group lies on a platform of irregular dimensions raised one to two meters above the surrounding area. The pyramid takes up roughly the middle of this platform, to the north, south-west and south-east are courtyards bordered by low buildings.
Pyramid MA-1
The group includes the tallest and most important pyramid in the city. The coordinates given in the head correspond to this pyramid. Its building history provides unique information about the development of the Puuc style and the importance of Oxkintoc in this process.
Originally, in the early classical period , today's pyramid (building MA 1) was a two-story building. This building has remained largely intact inside the pyramid and was so extensively explored through the 1987-1990 editions that its details are well known. This first building corresponded to a very large extent to the Satunsat: It had two floors with narrow, corridor-like rooms, which, as there, were low and had the characteristic stepped vaults. The first floor had four, maybe five of these rooms, which were arranged in an east-west direction. On each side, a room ran at right angles over the entire depth of the building. Since the excavation could not fully uncover these rooms in order not to endanger the stability of the entire building, it is not known how the connection between the individual rooms was guaranteed. In analogy to the Satunsat, one can assume that this takes place through short connecting passages near the center of the rooms, where the excavation could not penetrate. The original connection to the second floor is also unknown, but there is a staircase built later. The second floor consisted of two long rooms facing east-west that were wider but had the same vault construction. The greater width was possible because there were no other constructions above it. On both sides, at least the front room had a narrow entrance from the outside, from a surrounding platform on the roof of the transverse room below. The facade of this building corresponds to the early Oxkintoc style: the upper wall surface protrudes slightly above a smooth wall without a base. It is inclined slightly inward and bears a wide frame around a somewhat recessed surface and in this respect is reminiscent of variants of the Tablero-Talud system of Teotihuacan .
About 150 years later, in the middle classical period, a radical rebuilding took place. The lower parts of the old outer facade were removed and two steps of a pyramid-like building were erected. Since these wrapped around the older building like a coat, its stability had to be increased, which is why the inner rooms and corridors were filled with rubble. A staircase was placed in front of the pyramid that was roughly the width of the temple building that was built on the upper platform of the pyramid. It consisted of two parallel rooms, one behind the other. The front room had three entrances. Even later the pyramid was further designed. On both sides of the stairs, small, one-room buildings were erected on two levels, each with three entrances, separated by wall panels. A small altar-like base was created in front of the stairs.
Northern court
MA-8
This name refers to the long, hall-like building that stands immediately northwest of the pyramid and frames the courtyard to the west. Buildings of this type are typologically late.
MA-9
The long period of use of the group is evidenced by a building made up of five rooms with a layout that is rarely found except in Uxmal in the Puuc area, but the standard pattern is in the Chenes style . Behind a row of four rooms (the even number is actually unusual, but is hidden by five entrances) is the central fifth room, which is only accessible through the one in front. The facade (even if the upper half of the wall has not been preserved) assigns the building to the Puuc pillar style: the two- or three-part base with a recessed central band of relatively high pillars, the smooth lower wall surface, interrupted by groups of three pillars and two groups of seven pillars on either side of the central entrance, while the back wall is smooth. Above it lies the three-part central cornice with a sloping lower band, a recessed row of columns and a smooth upper band are clear. In addition, there are the typical three columns at the corners that take up the entire height of the wall. It is noticeable that the fifth room, which protrudes to the rear, was apparently added at a later date and has a base without a column band.
Western courtyard
From the buildings surrounding the courtyard, only the first low stone rows of the walls have been preserved. In the middle of the square are two rectangular altar platforms.
Group Ah Canul
East of the May group is the Ah Canul platform, which takes up a slightly larger area. The internal structure is also very different: The group has three pyramids similar to MA-1, while the courtyards are less pronounced and smaller. The pyramids are the oldest buildings in this group, only the CA-3 building is a bit older.
CA-3
Probably the oldest building (probably 300 to 400 AD) of the group is located on its northernmost edge and also differs in orientation from the other buildings. It consists of three relatively long corridor-like rooms in an east-west direction, of which the two southern rooms can only be entered through a transverse room with an entrance from the west. From the south a staircase led to a second, very small floor, of which no traces have survived today. The wall design and facade assign the building to the early Oxkintoc style.
CA-5 and CA-6
Near the southern edge of the platform are the two interconnected buildings that document the transition to the Proto-Puuc style, with the CA-5 building being built a little earlier. It shows a symmetrically closed floor plan consisting of three long rooms in an east-west direction, with the front being in the north, where three entrances lead into the outside room, from which three passages, offset to the outer one, in lead the interior room, which was divided into two rooms by a transverse wall. The southern room again has three entrances from the outside, but no direct connection to the central room. A connection between the two outer rooms is ensured by the two right-angled rooms at the two ends of the building, which in addition to an entrance from the outside also have passages to the two outer rooms. The concept of the Satunsat and the first building of the later pyramid MA-1 is reflected in this pattern of the combination of long rooms with staggered connections to each other and access via transverse rooms on the transverse sides of the building. However, no additional floor has been added here, which is why internal stairs are missing.
The later constructed building, designated CA-6, connects to the east in such a way that the original outside entrance of the east transverse room now opens laterally into one of the three front rooms of the new building, which has only two rows of rooms. Following the striving for symmetry, five entrances open to the north, which lead to three rooms (the middle one has three entrances). A passage leads from each of the rooms, offset from the entrances, into three rear rooms. Only one had an exit to the south. At the eastern end of the building is a small, transverse room with a central entrance and a passage in a small room in the second row. This latter passage is spanned by a stone door beam, which has found a secondary use here. The date in the Long Count, which is not completely preserved in his hieroglyphic text, corresponds approximately to the year 476. A similar door bar above one of the passages lacks the beginning, which also contained a Long Count date. The text that has been preserved begins with a statement from the counting of the lunar revolutions , which in isolation does not provide any further information, and a text that presumably said “then the door beam of his house was inserted”. Preliminary readings also suggest a dynastic relationship with the remote Resbalón site . The ruler of this place Hok 'Mah Balam would have been the son of the ruler of Oxkintoc, who is not known by name. His mother is also known (her name is translated as jaguar of the water hyacinths ) and a ruler A, who is roughly equivalent to her generation and is mentioned on inscriptions in Oxkintoc and Resbalón.
The facade of this building was decorated with a thick layer of stucco ornamentation above the simple central cornice. From the broken remains found it is possible to draw conclusions about depictions of animals and humans.
CA-7
To the east of the medium-sized courtyard, which adjoins the two buildings described in the east, there is a striking building that stands out through portals with pillars designed in bas-relief. The building, also known as “Palacio Chich”, is unusually large for Oxkintoc with 11 interior rooms on one level. The floor plan is more conventional and architecturally connects the courtyards to the east and west of the building. Three rows of rooms facing north-south are delimited at both ends by two transverse rooms. In contrast to the older buildings, these rooms no longer have the task of connecting the long rooms. Apart from the westernmost, these are also divided into three rooms by transverse walls. The two side doors have connecting doors so that you can get from one side of the building to the other. The room on the western front is not divided, it has side passages to the first of the side rooms, the others are only accessible from the outside. The facade is only preserved in fragments. Nevertheless, it can be said that the “Palacio Ch'ich” undoubtedly belongs to the transition between the early Puuc style and the pillar style, because it combines the characteristics of both and the pottery found during the excavations also belongs to the Middle Classical and later periods. The portals in the west, divided by figuratively sculpted columns, match the early Puuc style, with two columns in the middle and one on each side. The façade that has been preserved is divided into a plinth made of a protruding row of stones and the lower wall surface, which is decorated between the doors with individual columns and stone mosaic decoration in vertical bands - typical of the column style. The higher parts of the facade have not been preserved. The vault construction is also too developed for the early Puuc style.
CA-9
The building stands on the far eastern edge of the group. There are two separate structures (which was not yet known when the numbering was assigned), each with simple rows of rooms. The eastern building, with four rooms, has a passage arch in the middle. This building belongs to the pillar variant of the Puuc style, because the base shows the three-part image typical of this style with a recessed central band, in which the smooth section is alternated with groups of four pillars. Because of the severe destruction, the reconstruction of the upper parts of the building and the arch is hypothetical. The northern building, with five rooms to the south, seems to be stylistically earlier because it has no or only a minimal base. After the reconstruction, the cornice seems to have had at least one beveled band, which does not correspond to the rest of the findings. The oversized wall stones on the western side wall are striking.
chronology
Oxkintoc falls outside the framework of the Puuc culture in many ways. In terms of archaeological and architectural history, it is the oldest known larger settlement in the area. Oxkintoc is eponymous for the architectural style that preceded the classic Puuc (Early Oxkintoc). It is characterized, among other things, by an unadorned facade, large, irregular wall stones, a simple central cornice with a single protruding row of stones. The vaults are made of flat, plate-like stones without further processing, which are anchored in the masonry at an upward angle (stone vaults) and do not form a smooth surface. Sometimes a stepped surface is created. In addition, buildings and building complexes from all later phases of Puuc architecture appear in Oxkintoc, except for the late Uxmal style.
Oxkintoc is one of the longest continuously inhabited sites in the area, as the earliest inscriptions can be found here, which bear dates between 476 and 507. On the other hand, there are also inscriptions from the 8th and 9th centuries.
| monument |
|
|
| Door beam 1 |
approx. 476
|
9.2.?.?.? |
| Misc. 18th |
486
|
9.2.10.0.0 |
| Door beam 11, 13 |
18.2.487
|
9.2.11.16.17 |
| Door beam 16 |
1.12.507
|
9.3.13.0.9 |
| Ball court ring |
24.1.714
|
9.14.2.3.2 |
| Stairs 2 |
11/15/73
|
9.15.2.5.0 |
| Stele 20 |
5.5.751
|
9.16.0.0.0 |
| Misc. 4A |
20.1.771
|
9.17.0.0.0 |
| Stele 3 |
11/26/849
|
10.1.0.0.0 |
| Steles 9, 21 |
5.10.859
|
10.1.10.0.0 |
Individual evidence
- ^ Antonio de Ciudad Real: Tratadio curioso y docto de las grandezas de la Nueva España . Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México 1876. 2 volumes. Vol. 2, p. 351.
- ^ John L. Stephens : Incidents of travel in Yucatan . Dover Publications, New York 1963, ISBN 0-486-20926-1 . Vol. 1 pp. 124-128
- ^ Teobert painter : Península Yucatán . Ed. Hanns J. Prem . Gebr. Mann, Berlin 1997, ISBN 3-7861-1755-1 , pp. 235-236
- ↑ Harry ED Pollock : The Puuc. An architectural survey of the hill country of Yucatan and northern Campeche, Mexico . Peabody Museums of Archeology and Ethnology, Cambridge, Mass. 1980, ISBN 0-87365-693-8 , pp. 281-341.
- ↑ Misión Arqueológica de España en México: Oxkintoc Ministerior de Cultura, Madrid 1987–1992, 4 vols. ISBN 84-7483-808-8 .
- ^ Miguel Rivera Dorado: Notas de arqueología de Oxkintok . In: Hanns J. Prem (Ed.): Hidden Among the Hills: Maya Archeology of the Northwest Yucatán Península . Fleming, Möckmühl 1994, ISBN 3-924332-09-6 , pp. 44-58.
- ↑ Ivan Šprajc: El Satunsat de Oxkintok: ¿observatorio astronómico? . In: Oxkintoc, Vol. 3. Misión Arqueológico de España en México, Madrid 1990, ISBN 84-7483-644-1 . Pp. 87-97
- ^ Yolanda Fernández Marquínez: Nuevos datos de la structure MA-1. In: Oxkintoc 3. Misión Arqueológica de España en México, Madrid 1990, ISBN 84-7483-644-1 , pp. 31-47.
- ↑ José Miguel García, Alfonso Lacadena: Notas sobre cuatro dinteles glificos del siglo v. In: Oxkintoc Vol. 3. Mision arqueológica de España en México, Madrid 1990, ISBN 84-7483-644-1 , pp. 159-171.
- ↑ Nikolai Grube : Hieroglyphic inscriptions from North Yucatán, an update of recent research . in: Hanns J. Prem (Ed.): Escondido en la Selva, arqueología en el norte de Yucatán . Universidad de Bonn, Bonn 2003, ISBN 3-931419-07-X , pp. 339-370.
See also
Web links
Coordinates: 20 ° 33 '37.2 " N , 89 ° 57' 13.9" W.