Mayapán

Mayapán

Mexico · Yucatán

Ancient cityUnknown
Approximate period1,200 CE — 1,450 CEPostclassic; main period of development as a capital See on the map ↓

In brief

The walled city of Mayapán was one of Yucatán's last great Maya capitals. Excavated mass graves and monumental structures are used to study the city's political conflicts and ceremonial life.

What was found?

  • 1Temple of Kukulkán

    The stepped pyramid in the central plaza is one of the city's principal ceremonial structures. It shares architectural similarities with the structure of the same name at Chichén Itzá.

  • 2Polychrome murals

    Paintings featuring temples, water-related scenes, serpent mouths, and sun symbols have been preserved in the buildings. These reveal the religious and artistic expression of the period.

  • 3Circular structure Q152

    Remains of colored murals were found in niches inside the circular structure. According to an archaeoastronomical study, the structure marked important days in the calendar through celestial alignments.

  • 4Mass burials

    Human remains bearing signs of violence were found in some mass burials in the city. Radiocarbon dates were used to investigate the timing of conflicts within the city.

What does it point to?

Mayapán's architecture and paintings show the close relationship between ceremonial life and calendrical knowledge. According to researchers, prolonged drought may have contributed to political disintegration by intensifying existing tensions among ruling groups.

What did it teach us?

  1. Showed a relationship between periods of drought and increased violence in the city; researchers consider this alongside political competition.
  2. Revealed that the city's political collapse did not mean the complete disappearance of Maya societies.
  3. Murals and building orientations made it possible to examine how calendrical knowledge was reflected in architecture.

Images

Mayapan, Kukulcan Temple (14179882219)
Arian Zwegers from Brussels, Belgium · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Mayapan perspectiva 1
Joeldesalvatierra · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Latest news / selected archive

Research published in 2022 identified a link between evidence of violence in the graves and drought conditions around 1400–1450.

Record

Culture
Maya
Coordinates
20.6300°, -89.4600°

Sources

  1. lugares.inah.gob.mx
  2. nature.com
  3. analyticalsciencejournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
  4. INAH — Mayapán alan rehberi
  5. Estudios de Cultura Maya — Q152 arkeoastronomi araştırması

Nearby excavations


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12.000

From beneath the soil: latest discoveries

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    A metal belt buckle found in Tsetsyn Forest was dated to the 2nd–3rd centuries AD based on its decoration and manufacturing features. Researchers say the find, which may have belonged to a Sarmatian mounted warrior, could help explain military and cultural relations along the Roman frontier; its owner's identity has not yet been confirmed.

    Arkeofili ↗
  • Chemical traces of cannabis use found in a 2,800-year-old tomb in Siberia

    Cannabis seeds from the Tunnug burial mound were dated to 800–760 BC; signals matching cannabis compounds were also detected in human hair. According to the researchers, the findings suggest that cannabis may have been used in funerary rituals for its psychoactive effects.

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  • Traces of iron production during the Golden Horde period found in Kazakhstan

    Investigations in the Bayanaul region uncovered iron slag containing preserved charcoal; radiocarbon analysis of the charcoal dated production to the Golden Horde period. The finds provide new evidence of how nomadic communities met their needs for tools and raw materials.

    HeritageDaily ↗
  • 10,500-year-old worked wood found beneath a lake in Germany

    Worked wood, stone tools and animal bones were found at a depth of about 20 metres in Lake Arendsee. The rarely preserved wood directly documents Mesolithic woodworking techniques; whether the pieces belonged to a structure has yet to be established.

    HeritageDaily ↗
  • Five wooden wells from the Iron Age and Roman period found in England

    Pipeline excavations in Hampshire uncovered five wooden wells, four attributed to the Iron Age and one to the Roman period. Wood from one well was dated to 719–396 BC; preserved tool marks and traces of repairs reveal ancient water supply methods.

    HeritageDaily ↗
  • Faience production workshop discovered at Sanam temple in Sudan

    A faience workshop containing hundreds of beads, a funerary figurine and production remains was found in the Sanam temple complex. According to the researchers, the workshop helps explain how Kushite rulers strengthened their political power by controlling the production of valuable objects.

    Arkeofili ↗
  • Gold bear figure found in a Saka-period tomb in Kazakhstan

    A small gold bear figure, provisionally dated to the 4th–3rd centuries BC, was found in the Karagaily burial mound in Almatı. According to the researchers, holes in the figure suggest that it may have been sewn onto a ceremonial headdress; the find provides new evidence about Saka clothing and decorative traditions.

    HeritageDaily ↗
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