Chacchoben
Encyclopedia
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...
ruin approximately 110 mi (177 km) south of Tulum and 7 mi (11 km) from the village from which it derives its name.
History
Settlement by the Maya at the site is estimated at 200 BC, and the structures date from 700 AD.Modern discovery
In the 1940s a farm was established near the site by the Cohuo family, but the ruins were officially reported to the MexicanMexico
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...
government in June 1972 by Dr. Peter Harrison, an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
archaeologist who was working on a project for Tulane University, and who also made the first maps of Chacchoben. Harrison stumbled upon this site while flying a helicopter over Mexico and noticed numerous hills in predominately flat lands. Harrison realized there were temples beneath these hills, which were naturally covered over a period of 2000 years.
Restoration
In 1994 the Mexican National Institute of Anthropology and HistoryNational Institute of Anthropology and History
The Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia is a Mexican federal government bureau established in 1939 to guarantee the research, preservation, protection, and promotion of the prehistoric, archaeological, anthropological, historical, and paleontological heritage of Mexico...
(INAH) excavated and restored the site, which was closed to the public until 2002.
Chacchoben today
Visitors to the site today walk a circular path that includes three excavated and restored pyramids, as well as many walls and staircases. Excavation is continuing on several mounds which are known to contain further buildings. Some structures still bear traces of the red paint with which they were originally coated, and INAH has set up shaded areas to prevent further degradation of this pigment by the sun. Also notable at the base of the largest pyramid is a large stone slab called a stela with a Mayan hieroglyphic inscription. Chacchoben is one of the more popular ruin sites in southern Quintana RooQuintana Roo
Quintana Roo officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Quintana Roo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 10 municipalities and its capital city is Chetumal....
, with regular tourist trips from the port of Costa Maya
Costa Maya
Costa Maya is a small tourist region in the municipality of Othón P. Blanco in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico, the only state with Caribbean Sea. This municipality is close to Chetumal on the border with Belize, until recently British Honduras...
.
The surrounding jungle is characterized by abundant species of fauna such as, deer, peccary, armadillo, gray fox, spider monkey and howler monkey. Deeper into the jungle, more dangerous animals like jaguar, ocelot, puma and tapir can be found.