Mayapán: The last great Maya seat of power in ancient Yucatán
If someone were to describe a Maya archaeological site by saying that it has a Pyramid dedicated to Kukulkán, a beautiful circular astronomical observatory and was surrounded by cenotes, one would — of course — think of Chichén Itzá. But this description also applies to a smaller but very important ancient city known as Mayapán.
Archaeological evidence dates the foundation of Mayapán to the 1st century CE. Sometime in the 12th century, the arrival of the Itzáes from Chichén Itzá brought the city to prominence.
Since that time, Mayapán became the seat of a confederation of city-states known as Luub Mayapán or the League of Mayapán. Other members of the confederation included cities as large and powerful as Chichén Itzá and Uxmal. In a very real sense, this League of Mayapán was the last great hurrah of the Maya in Yucatán before Uxmal and Chichén Itzá were severely depopulated and eventually abandoned.
The Itzáes are believed to have relocated to the Peten, in northern Guatemala, surrounding what is now known as Lake Peten Itza. For their part, the Xiu of Uxmal moved to Mani and their descendants still live in the region.
Mayapán covers a surface area of 4.2 square kilometers and has over 4,000 structures. The city walls extended half a kilometer beyond its boundaries in all directions.
The Pyramid of Kukulkán, also known as El Castillo, is one of the most iconic structures on the site and is to the east of the Ch’en Mul cenote. A good deal of original stucco still survives on the east side of the structure.
Like the Pyramid of Kukulkán, the circular astronomical observatory was clearly built in the same style as its counterpart in Chichén Itzá. Though a good deal smaller it is still extremely beautiful and located on a platform adorned with Chaac rain god masks.
Carved stone figures depicting snakes or feathered serpents are a common motif in Maya architecture, especially in cities associated with the Itzáes.
The city also has several examples of carvings depicting animals, such as the stone relief of a bird found there.
Mayapán may be smaller than Chichén Itzá or Uxmal, but it’s by no means a small site. It is jam-packed with more than enough interesting features to keep you exploring for a good long while. Just make sure to bring a hat and some water because it does not have the facilities of more famous and visited ancient Maya cities.
If you go
Mayapán is 40 kilometers south of Mérida in the municipality of Tecoh and makes for an ideal day trip for archaeology aficionados. It’s also well worth it to hit up nearby Acanceh on the same day.
As with all archaeological sites in Mexico, it is prohibited to bring in food or drink — other than water.
The entrance fee to the site is 55 pesos Monday through Saturday. On Sunday admission is free for Mexican nationals and foreign residents of Yucatán (with ID).
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.
