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Dzibanché
Writing on wood
The site is surprisingly extensive at more than 15 square miles. The beauty of its enormous constructions and the natural surroundings of the site add interest to the four groups that make up this complex: Dzibanche or the Main Group, the Central Complex or Lamay Group, Tutil and Kinichna.
About the site
An extensive site which combined civic and ceremonial spaces with interspersed and surrounding residential areas. The latter consist of residential units laid out in various arrays expressing particular forms of domestic organization, social status and the activities of the residents.

Of the four groups, Dzibanche and Tutil appear to have been built over an extended time period, whereas the other two seem to have functioned for a short time: Kinichna in the first half of the Classic and Lamay towards the end of the same period.

It was a very populous center combined with farmed areas, houses, religious and government spaces. The settlement was dispersed with its main routes defined by sacbes, which were roads covered with white stucco. They were not marked out with the intention of regulating the growth of the site, or with the notion of creating a grid pattern.

Dzibanche always had various centers of civic and ceremonial activity. It seems that each performed specific functions which were not repeated in any other center. Dzibanche has one or possibly two ballcourts, which are not present in the other complexes. Kinichna is really an acropolis, a special building unparalleled in the south of Quintana Roo. Tutil has its own interior layout with a multitude of small architectural complexes associated with rituals. All this leads to the conclusion that the greater Dzibanche settlement is a complex divided intentionally with the purpose of maintaining political and ideological control of a population of farmers and small artisans settled with houses and farmed areas in a typically Mayan dispersed pattern.

This peculiar way of operating must have led to ceremonies taking place in different parts of the main settlement, depending on the event taking place and the purpose of the main buildings in the different architectural complexes, and also on the type of economic activity or the government office being performed. For example, the market would be held in one of these centers, planning would take place in another, while ceremonial handovers of power in yet another.

Because of its location in a transitional zone, Dzibanche enjoys great natural abundance, ensuring access to a wide array of basic resources, including raw materials and products made far away. The favorable geographical location implies the possibility of controlling and monopolizing communication channels and the flow of goods of all sorts. This type of transitional areas between two or more ecological zones is known as an ecotone, and these tend to be places where regional trading nodes develop.
300 - 1550

Clásico Temprano a Posclásico Tardío
300 - 1000

Clásico

Did you know...
  • Dzibanche is the name given to the principal settlement in a group of settlements which includes Kinichna to the north, Tutil to the west, Lamay in the center and Dzibanche itself to the east, covering an area greater than 15 square miles.
  • The four settlements were connected by sacbeoob or Mayan white roads, which had specific functions.
  • It has the same Early Classic architecture and ceramic materials as Kinichna, while it shares the Late Classic temples decorated with bordered panels on the back and side facades with Tutil.
Practical information
Monday to Sunday from 09:00 to 15:00 hrs.

$80.00 pesos


Se localiza 81 km al noroeste de Chetumal.

From the city of Chetumal, take highway 186 Chetumal-Escárcega in the direction of the towns of Morocoy and San Pedro Peralta (215 km). Passing Morocoy, take the turn off for the site at La Pista.

Services
  • +52 (983) 837 24 11
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Directory
Enlace
Silvia Inchaurregui Pichardo
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
+52 (983) 837 24 11 ext. 318005
1792
Dzibanch_portada
Dzibanche
INAH
Dzibanch_Foto_Archivo_INAH
INAH
DZIBANCHE_FOTO_MAURICIO_MARAT_INAH3
INAH-DMV / Mauricio Marat
DZIBANCHE_FOTO_MAURICIO_MARAT_INAH
INAH-DMV / Mauricio Marat
248_A_dzibanche_hector_montano_2
INAH-DMC/Héctor Montaño
248_A_dzibanche_hector_montano_3
INAH-DMC/Héctor Montaño
6-Edificio_E6_Templo_de_los_dinteles_
12-Plaza_Pom,_palacio_Sur
10-Pequea_Acrpolis_Palacio_Poniente
Sureste
Sorprende por su extensión (más de 40 km2), la belleza de sus enormes construcciones y el entorno natural donde está asentado. Lo conforman cuatro grupos: Dzibanché o Grupo Principal, Complejo Central o Grupo Lamay, Tutil y Kinichná.
The site is surprisingly extensive at more than 15 square miles. The beauty of its enormous constructions and the natural surroundings of the site add interest to the four groups that make up this complex: Dzibanche or the Main Group, the Central Complex or Lamay Group, Tutil and Kinichna.
Escritura en madera
Writing on wood

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