Ake
Encyclopedia
Ake is an archaeological site
of the pre-Columbian
Maya civilization
, located in the municipality of Tixkokob
. in the Mexican
state of Yucatán
; 40 km (25 mi) east of Mérida, Yucatán
.
The name Ake is a toponym that means "place of reeds" in Yucatec Maya. One notable feature of the site is its system of pre-Columbian sacbeo'ob or roads that facilitate access with other settlements in the region.
The architecture dates from the Post-Classic
era (800-1000CE). They were first described in print by John Lloyd Stephens
and Frederick Catherwood
in the early 1840s.
Aké is bounded by two concentric walls, one defines the core of the settlement with an area of 4 km2, while the other protects the core housing. The core is a large and square in shape surrounded by tall buildings measuring about 25 m2. Structure One, also called the palace, with rows of stone columns atop a step-pyramid platform; is the site's most impressive feature. While most Maya pyramids are built steep with many narrow steps, Structure One is a gradual climb of huge, flat stone slabs. The remains of an ancient Maya raised pedestrian causeway, or sacbe
, runs from Aké to Izamal
. It was part of a road system running from the site of Ti'ho at modern Mérida
to the Caribbean Sea. The ruins are all within a 19th century henequen estate.
Archaeological site
An archaeological site is a place in which evidence of past activity is preserved , and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and represents a part of the archaeological record.Beyond this, the definition and geographical extent of a 'site' can vary widely,...
of the pre-Columbian
Pre-Columbian
The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic period to European colonization during...
Maya civilization
Maya civilization
The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period The Maya is a Mesoamerican...
, located in the municipality of Tixkokob
Tixkokob (municipality)
The small Municipality of Tixkokob is one of the 106 subdivisions of the State of Yucatán in Mexico. Its municipal seat is located in the City of Tixkokob. The town of Tixkokob is famous within the area for high quality hammock weaving...
. in the Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
state of Yucatán
Yucatán
Yucatán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Yucatán is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 106 municipalities and its capital city is Mérida....
; 40 km (25 mi) east of Mérida, Yucatán
Mérida, Yucatán
Mérida is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Yucatán and the Yucatán Peninsula. It is located in the northwest part of the state, about from the Gulf of Mexico coast...
.
The name Ake is a toponym that means "place of reeds" in Yucatec Maya. One notable feature of the site is its system of pre-Columbian sacbeo'ob or roads that facilitate access with other settlements in the region.
The architecture dates from the Post-Classic
Mesoamerican chronology
Mesoamerican chronology divides the history of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica into several periods: the Paleo-Indian , the Archaic , the Preclassic , the Classic , and the Postclassic...
era (800-1000CE). They were first described in print by John Lloyd Stephens
John Lloyd Stephens
John Lloyd Stephens was an American explorer, writer, and diplomat. Stephens was a pivotal figure in the rediscovery of Maya civilization throughout Middle America and in the planning of the Panama railroad....
and Frederick Catherwood
Frederick Catherwood
Frederick Catherwood was an English artist and architect, best remembered for his meticulously detailed drawings of the ruins of the Maya civilization. He explored Mesoamerica in the mid 19th century with writer John Lloyd Stephens...
in the early 1840s.
Aké is bounded by two concentric walls, one defines the core of the settlement with an area of 4 km2, while the other protects the core housing. The core is a large and square in shape surrounded by tall buildings measuring about 25 m2. Structure One, also called the palace, with rows of stone columns atop a step-pyramid platform; is the site's most impressive feature. While most Maya pyramids are built steep with many narrow steps, Structure One is a gradual climb of huge, flat stone slabs. The remains of an ancient Maya raised pedestrian causeway, or sacbe
Sacbe
right|thumb|Sacbe at Dzibilchaltun in the Yucatánthumb|right|Arch at the end of the sacbé, Kabah, YucatánSacbe, plural Sacbeob, or "white ways" are raised paved roads built by the Maya civilization of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica...
, runs from Aké to Izamal
Izamal
Izamal is a small city in the Mexican state of Yucatán, 72 km east of state capital Mérida. Izamal was continuously occupied throughout most of Mesoamerican chronology; in 2000, the city's estimated population was 15,000 people...
. It was part of a road system running from the site of Ti'ho at modern Mérida
Mérida, Yucatán
Mérida is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Yucatán and the Yucatán Peninsula. It is located in the northwest part of the state, about from the Gulf of Mexico coast...
to the Caribbean Sea. The ruins are all within a 19th century henequen estate.