Chunhuhub and the Joys of Exploring the Puuc in Silence

Chunhuhub is an archaeological site that could be described as modest in comparison to several of its contemporaries in the Puuc or Chenes region. Part of this comes down to the fact that much of the site has not been restored, making it hard for non-experts to properly “size it up”.

But beyond the size of its restored monuments, Chunhuhub is one of those special archaeological sites that combines the best of both worlds: easy accessibility and very few daily visitors, which means you are likely to have it to yourself. 

Chunhuhub appears to have been settled around the year 500 C.E, though evidence of human habitation, including stone tools in the immediate area, dates back to roughly 800 B.C.E. The population grew, and the city reached its peak during the Late Classic and Terminal Classic periods. This was roughly between the years 600 C.E. and 1000 C.E. Around the year 800 C.E., building activity was strong. The city was eventually abandoned, likely around the end of this period.

The meaning of the name Chunhuhub is not entirely settled, though most sources point to it meaning “Junto al Caracol” or “Next to the Snail” in the Yucatec-Maya language.

The site was first reported to the outside world in the mid-1800s. The famous explorers John L. Stephens and Frederick Catherwood visited and documented it. Stephens wrote about their travels in his book “Incidents of Travel in Yucatan,” which was published in 1843. Catherwood made drawings of the buildings. Later, in 1887, another explorer named Teobert Maler visited Chunhuhub. He made the first detailed architectural records and took the first photographs of the ruins. In the 1930s, Harry Pollock studied the site and documented its sculptures. He found some of these stone pieces had been reused in the facades of houses in the nearby village of Xculoc.

The first serious work to repair and restore the buildings was done in the 1980s by Luis Millet Cámara. A major study of the settlement pattern was then carried out between 1986 and 1991. This project was led by French archaeologists Dominique Michelet and Pierre Becquelin. Later, Renée Zapata performed maintenance on the buildings that visitors can see today. 

Chunhuhub is located in the municipality of Hopelchén, in the northern part of the state of Campeche, though given the proximity of the core of the city to the state line with Yucatán, at least part of this ancient city likely extended across these two modern states. 

Only a few of the many structures at Chunhuhub have been excavated and restored. The most important building is called El Palacio, or the Palace. It is also known as Structure I. The Palace has two levels and contains 13 rooms with corbel vaults, which are often called Maya arches. 

The main facade has a frieze decorated with geometric patterns. These patterns once alternated with sculptures. The sculptures represented the sun god Kinich Ahau and stylised images of bats. The stonework is fine and fits together perfectly. It is a prime example of the Puuc architectural style. Today, the original sculptures from the frieze are kept in archaeological museums in the city of Campeche.

Right next to the Palace is Structure II. This building has three vaulted rooms. Its facade is plainer, but the frieze is decorated with rows of small stone cylinders and geometric fret patterns, also known as grecas. The middle decorative molding and the cornice also feature these small cylinders, a very common architectural motif in the Puuc region. A staircase, which is now partially restored, once connected Structure II to the Palace.

Visitors to Chunhuhub can also observe a collection of stone sculptures near the entrance. These pieces did not originally come from Chunhuhub. They come from a nearby archaeological site called Xcochkax, which is not open to the public. To protect them from the weather, they are displayed at Chunhuhub. 

Given the proximity of Xcochkax to Chunhuhub, it is likely that they were actually part of the same political entity, in much the same way that Xlapak, Labná, and Chuncatzim are hypothesised to have belonged to the same polity. Among the artifacts found at Xcochkax are pieces is a block carved with a figure of a dancer, doorjambs showing important officials, and corner stones with the faces of the rain deity Chaac. There are also carved blocks with hieroglyphs and a vault stone with the Pop sign, a symbol of political authority.

Visiting Chunhuhub

Chunhuhub is open to the public every day from 8:00 in the morning to 5:00 in the evening. There is no entrance fee. The site has a visitor center, parking, and bathrooms. It is not a busy tourist destination, and visitors often have the ruins to themselves. It is one of several ancient sites on the Ruta de Los Chenes, a driving route through the northern part of Campeche.
For information on private tours to Chunhuhub or any other site in the region, please email carlos.rosado@gmail.com