Firefighters this morning doused flames at an urban ancient ruin called Dzoyila. The site is among many that have become nearly forgotten, and its large temples are overgrown with brush.Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine
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Fire Extinguished Near Ancient Temples at Dzoyilá

ByYucatán Magazine
Firefighters this morning doused flames at an urban ancient ruin called Dzoyila. The site is among many that have become nearly forgotten, and its large temples are overgrown with brush.Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine

A fire at the archaeological site Dzoyilá burned aside dry grass and weeds that covered Maya temples that had become overgrown with brush.

Contained in Fracc. Granjas in Mérida’s south, behind the Leones baseball stadium, Dzoyilá was a small Mayan residential area that archaeologists say was inhabited for nearly 1,300 years starting around 300 BCE.

The site has somehow survived decades of urban sprawl, and 10 years ago, its treasures were excavated by federal authorities. It was the first archaeological site to be converted into a city park.

But maintenance there has been practically non-existent in recent years.

The fire was encountered by a 15-person tour group led by Yucatán Discovery, which is affiliated with Yucatán Magazine and led by its senior editor.

The tour leader called firefighters, who thanked the magazine for raising awareness of under-appreciated sites like these.

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