Just Behind Mérida’s Baseball Stadium: The Forgotten Maya City of Dzoyilá

Large artificial platforms comprise much of the urban archaeological site of Dzoyilá in southern Mérida.Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine

Founded sometime in the first century BCE, Dzoyilá was a Maya city located in what today is the south of Mérida, directly behind the Kukulcán Álamo baseball stadium.

Dzoyilá was founded well before the establishment of Ichcanzijó in what today is downtown Mérida but was perhaps folded into this larger city-state from the 3rd century onwards.Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine

The site was known to Spanish conquistadors as far back as the 16th century, who then turned to dismantle its large temples to build their constructions.

Although much damage has been done to Dzoyilá, it is still possible to make out several interesting architectural features.Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine

Under pressure from residents of the newly populated area in the 1980s, city authorities began to restore certain sections of Dzoyilá to convert it into a city park.

These days, the paths through Dzoyilá Park are used by families to go for walks, rollerblade, or enjoy a picnic.Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine

One of the most interesting features of Dzoyilá is its sacbé or Mayan road, which leads directly to the core of Mérida’s downtown, which was once the regional capital of Ichcanzijó.

Dzoyilá’s sacbe would have moved goods and tribute from the peripheries of Ichcanzijó to the city proper.Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine

Another essential fact about Dzoyilá is that it is mentioned in the Chilam Balam of Chumayel, a collection of texts compiled in the 16th century from more ancient sources by the hands of scholars and clergy who recognized the importance of preserving the history of the region.

Section of one of the books that made up the Chilam Balam of Chumayel on display in Mérida.Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine

Among the information gleaned from this source is the fact that the Itzá people, who would go on to establish grand cities like Chichén Itzá and Edzná, made their way through Dzoyilá sometime in the 9th century.

Diego de Landa remains a polarizing figure in Yucatán. Nonetheless, his work in documenting and researching the Maya was indispensable in achieving the current understanding of their culture, to the degree that one scholar asserted that, "ninety-nine percent of what we today know of the Mayas, we know as the result either of what Landa has told us in the pages that follow, or have learned in the use and study of what he told."

In recent years, several governments have laid out plans to restore Dzoyilá. However, the site’s core remains virtually abandoned and covered in vegetation for most of the year.

A fire recently broke out among Dzoyilá’s ancient temples, likely sparked by the sun's reflection on a glass bottle.Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine

Once in a while, INAH authorities will visit the site to cut back the vegetation. This happens extremely irregularly, so the best time of year is usually during the dry season when the vegetation is slightly more at bay.

Though Dzoyilá may not be as impressive in its present state as several other archaeological sites, it remains an important part of Mérida’s cultural heritage.Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine

Aside from the site’s central core, several ancient structures and mounds (some partially restored and others not) dot the landscape.

The remains of what appears to be a residential structure in a small park a few blocks from the core of the Dzoyilá archaeological site.Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine

If you go

Dzoyilá is directly behind the Kukulcán Álamo baseball stadium, but to access the sections that are not fenced off, one has to walk a few blocks further south. Map: Google Maps

Visiting Dzoyilá is part of a great day trip with nearby settlements, including Chén Ho and Xoclán. Yucatán Magazine has already organized a couple of these trips (which include even more urban archaeological sites), and we are planning more in the future.

Carlos Rosado van der Gracht

Senior Editor Carlos Rosado van der Gracht is a journalist, photographer, and expedition leader. Born in Mérida, Carlos holds degrees from universities in Mexico, Canada, and Norway.