Tahcabó: An ancient land where time stands still, parrots roam and honey flows

If you asked most people in Yucatán if they have ever heard of Tahcabó, you would unlikely get many nods.

Tahcabó is not a household name in Yucatán, but locals are proud of their ancient heritage and continue to honor it. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine

But for locals, Tahcabó is far from some random backwater but rather “an ancient gem, uncorrupted by time,” as described by 72-year-old Don Emilio, who has lived in the community of just under 400 people all his life.

Most of the surviving architecture in Tahcabó is concentrated near its city hall, though evidence of large structures can be found all around if you know where to look. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine

According to the 17th-century text called the Chilam Balam de Chumayel, Tahcabó was once considered “a place where anything could grow, and honey production thrived.” This reputation soon caught the attention of the lords of Ek Balam, who brought the city under their control sometime around the 10th century A.D.

The surviving prehispanic architecture in Tahcabó is plentiful but in serious disrepair, as no reconstruction efforts are yet to be undertaken. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine

Oral traditions also tell of links with regional capitals, including Kulubá, as far back as the early third century.

Yucatecan tamales, known as vaporcitos, are famous in Tahcabó and are cooked in banana leaves. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine

But with the arrival of the Itzá, Tahcabó appears to have fallen under the domain of Chichén Itzá, who came to depend on the then-thriving city as an east-facing military post and for its famed honey production.

Even today, Tahcabó seems permanently green even through most of the dry season, making it a natural sanctuary for countless species. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine

As it happens, Tahcabó possesses many great powers. The first is a geologic feature known as rejoyadas, which are moist, large, fertile sinkholes where everything from bananas to maize and pumpkins grows easily.

The main reason rejoyadas are so fertile is that they sit just above the water table and don’t rely on rain. Additionally, when rains do come, their thin limestone bottoms allow excess rainwater to filter out, but not without capturing nutrients from flowing organic materials. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine

Though Tahcabó has long fallen into obscurity, locals continue to live off the land, much like their ancestors did.

Locals set up an altar to ensure the continued favor shown to them by their deities. Photo: Tahcabó Community Museum.

Cenotes are also plentiful in the community and continue to be an important water source.

None of the cenotes in Tahcabó have been habilitated for tourism, so visitors are warned to be cautious as the stones on the way down are incredibly loose and slippery. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine

While no archaeological restoration work has taken place at Tahcabó, research teams from Mexico and the United States have conducted exploratory surveys and made several interesting finds.

Archaeological surveys directed by the Archaeological Institute of America have placed plaques around Tahcabó featuring illustrations of what these ancient “múull” or mounds would have looked like during their heyday. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine

As is the case all over Mesoamerica, one of the contributing factors to the damage seen in Tahcabó’s ancient structures is the presence of colonial architecture built using materials from prehispanic temples.

Directly beside one of Tahcabó’s most giant pyramids are the ruins of a 16th-century church built almost entirely with ancient stone carved by the Maya. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine

Archaeological surveys have uncovered several artifacts from Tahcabó’s past, including tools and ceramics displayed at the community museum held within city hall.

An at least millennia-old ceramic pot in near pristine condition in Tahcabó’s tiny but fascinating community museum. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine

If you go

Tahcabó is just a short detour on the way to the splendid beaches of El Cuyo when coming from the west. Google Maps

The main square is a popular hangout and a good place to get acquainted with the locals and see if anyone is interested in showing you around, which is likely a good idea to do more than scratching the surface.

In the same region, past Tizimín, you will also have the opportunity to take the detour to Kulubá, considered by many the most important archaeological site in the east of Yucatán state. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine

Carlos Rosado van der Gracht

Senior Editor Carlos Rosado van der Gracht is a Mexican expedition/Canadian photographer, adventure leader, and PhD candidate. Born in Mérida, Carlos holds multimedia, philosophy, and translation degrees from universities in Mexico, Canada and Norway.