Just Behind Mérida’s Baseball Stadium: The Forgotten Maya City of Dzoyilá
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Aside from the site’s central core, several ancient structures and mounds (some partially restored and others not) dot the landscape.
If you go
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.
Senior Editor Carlos Rosado van der Gracht is a Mexican expedition/Canadian photographer and adventure leader. Born in Mérida, Carlos holds multimedia, philosophy, and translation degrees from universities in Mexico, Canada and Norway.