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Hochob
Corn cobs
The elaborate Maya decoration causes a sense of wonder with features such as the facade of the Main Palace, where the entrance is an enormous mask of open jaws and fangs at either side, in the shape of a monstrous mouth.
About the site

This was one of the most important Mayan settlements in the Chenes region. In around 300 AD its earliest inhabitants established a presence on a hill upon which some important public and religious structures had previously stood. The hillsides were terraced and platforms created in order to provide a base for houses, built of non-durable materials. They also constructed chultuns or water cisterns to collect, store and distribute rainwater.

Hochob was probably subordinate to Dzibilnocac or Santa Rosa Xtampac, sites whose importance had grown by the Classic period; the buildings here date from between 600 and 900 AD, and reached their maximum splendor between 850 and 1000 AD.

One of the most outstanding features of the buildings are the enormous stucco facade masks of the god Itzamná, with its maw agape and the lower jaw consisting of a platform with fangs by way of an entrance. This can be seen in the main rooms of Buildings 1 and 2. In addition to these decorations are overlaying masks of Chaac, a god connected to rain. Other features include the towers crowned by  two-chambered temples.

The site’s period of prosperity was interrupted by the collapse of Mayan society, a fate that befell various cities in the Yucatan peninsula, and weakened Hochob’s ruling class. As a result, the population settled elsewhere; the city was not completely abandoned though, and continued to be inhabited until after the Spanish Conquest.

Archivo
INAH-Zona Arqueológica de Hochob
300 - 1000

Clásico Temprano a Posclásico Temprano
850 - 1000

Clásico Tardío a Posclásico Temprano

Did you know...
  • Hochob was rediscovered on an area of raised land by the Austrian explorer Teobert Maler in 1887, and was later rediscovered, in 1936.
  • It was a medium-sized city that was dependent on another, more powerful settlement.
  • The local population at the time used the rooms of the pre-Hispanic buildings to store their harvested crops.
  • It is one of the few Maya sites in the Chenes region featuring buildings with facade masks and towers.
An expert point of view
Antonio Benavides Castillo
Antonio Benavides Castillo
Centro INAH Campeche
Archeological site
Hochob
Practical information
Monday to Sunday from 8:00 to 17:00 hrs. Last entry 16:45 hrs.

$75.00 pesos


  • Extra fee for video cameras
  • Extra fee for photo cameras
  • Extra fee for professional cameras
  • Sundays free for Mexican citizens
  • Free entrance for Mexicans under 13 years old
  • Free entrance for Mexican students and teachers
  • Free entry for seniors
Se localiza en la región denominada los Chenes, municipio de Hopelchén, en el estado de Campeche.

La distancia a Hochob desde la ciudad de Campeche es de 117 km.

From the city of Campeche, take the state road that connects the towns of Pocyaxum, Nohacal, Tixmucuy, Alfredo V. Bonfil, Pich and Laureles. When you reach the junction of Carlos Cano Cruz, turn east to the town of Chenkó and continue for 4 km until you reach the site.

Services
  • Centro de atención al visitante
  • Estacionamiento
  • Sanitarios
  • Tienda
  • +52 (981) 816 8179
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Directory
Encargada de Operación de Zonas Arqueológicas del Centro INAH Campeche
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+52 (981) 816 9136, ext. 138016
1669
258_A_000
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INAH/Rodolfo Lobatos
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INAH/Rodolfo Lobatos
Sureste
El profuso decorado maya despierta admiración en elementos como la fachada del Palacio Principal que, a manera de entrada, muestra un mascarón de enormes fauces abiertas y colmillos en los extremos, a semejanza de una boca monstruosa.
The elaborate Maya decoration causes a sense of wonder with features such as the facade of the Main Palace, where the entrance is an enormous mask of open jaws and fangs at either side, in the shape of a monstrous mouth.
Mazorcas de maíz
Corn cobs

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