Xpuhil
Xpuhil is the name of a pre-Columbian Mayan ruin site in the Mexican state of Campeche . It is characterized by the style that is named after the ruined zone of Río Bec , located around 40 km to the southeast . The extensive ruin zone of Xpuhil consists of a large number of small groups of buildings, which are usually arranged more or less regularly around a courtyard. Some of these groups are located on the western edge of the modern town of Xpujil , on the premises of the local military barracks (not accessible) and in the immediate vicinity of the town. Group I of Xpujil was first found in 1933 by the American archaeologists Ruppert and Denison and described in detail. With the construction of the overland road MEX 186 (opened in 1969), the ruins were made accessible to tourism. Archaeological excavation and restoration work has been carried out and a small archaeological park has been created since the late 1980s.
Xpuhil I
The most important building of Xpuhil is a typical Rio Bec palace with two rows of rooms slightly offset against each other, the outer entrances of which open to the east side. The two middle rooms jump back a little. The facade decoration consisted of the flat masks characteristic of the Rio Bec style, which are arranged in cascades to the right and left of the doors. The main façade is surmounted by two of the typical stepped towers, with three large masks set in the inaccessible false stairs. The stairs led to mock buildings at the top, whose non-functional doors were designed as large snake-mouth portals. There were also two rooms one behind the other on both sides, while there were only two simple rooms on the back. They were arranged on either side of an unusual third tower, which is also the best preserved. A narrow, steep staircase leads through the southern tower from south to north, through which one reaches the level of the no longer preserved roof of the rooms. These stairs, located inside the massive towers, are a special characteristic of the Rio Bec style.
There are other buildings about 80 m to the east. No. II is an east-facing palace complex that consists of five rooms. A little further on is building III, which consists of several rooms facing north. A few meters further east is building IV. It consists of two parallel rooms on either side of a pyramid-like substructure, on the upper surface of which there is a building with three rooms. This group also includes other badly damaged buildings that have not been uncovered.
Xpuhil II
Xpuhil II is a group of buildings, which is located about 1 km south of the buildings mentioned above. Its central structure is also known as the “bird mask temple” because of the decoration on its roof ridge. It is actually a palace with 18 rooms. The two bird masks, which are very roughly composed of architectural elements, are attached to the roof ridge. The Xpuhil II group has not yet been exposed (only measures to stabilize the building portal have been carried out); it is not publicly accessible.
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Karl Ruppert, John H. Denison, Jr .: Archaeological reconaissance in Campeche, Quintana Roo, and Peten , Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington 1943
Coordinates: 18 ° 30 ′ 36.1 ″ N , 89 ° 24 ′ 16.1 ″ W.