Ch’el is an archaeological site of the Mayan civilization located within a 19th-century hacienda of the same name.
Though it is best known by its contemporary name Sihunchen, the site’s original name is thought to have been Ch’el, sometimes spelled Che’el or Chéel, which translates to “rainbow” in the Yucatec-Mayan language.
The Carnegie institution carried out an archaeological survey of Ch’el in 1941, but subsequent restoration efforts were extremely limited.
As a result, Ch’el appears today as a ruin, as it has for many centuries.
This is not to say that visiting the site is not enjoyable. It is just that this is the sort of place best enjoyed by those with a real taste for archaeology.
Visiting a site like Ch’el requires a good deal of imagination and knowledge of Mesoamerican architecture, as, for the most part, its collapsed structures do not look like much more than piles or rocks to the untrained eye.
Because so little research has been done at Sinunchen / Ch’el, relatively little is known about the site — though it is thought to have been a vassal kingdom of either Dzibilchaltún or Tzeme.
It is often speculated that Ch’el may be almost as ancient as Dzibilchaltún, which would place its construction firmly in the pre-Classical period, which stretches as far back as the second millennia BCE.
However, several of Ch’el’s architectural groups, including Group E, were likely built in the second century CE.
Contextual evidence such as the large number of ceramic vessels and cenotes found at the site suggest that Ch’el was an important agricultural center capable of producing large surpluses.
The surplus of crops such as corn and squash were likely sent to either Dzibilchaltún or Tzeme in the form of taxes.
Perhaps the most striking feature of the site is its pyramid, which is modest in size compared to larger sites such as Calakmul or Palenque, but is nonetheless well worth a visit.
If you go
If you used Google Maps to find your way to the site, make sure to search for Sihunchen Aldea Maya, and not just Sihunchen — as that will take you to a small town south of Mérida in the municipality of Abala.
Ch’el is located within the municipality of Hunucmá and can be spotted from the highway en route to beaches such as Sisal or Celestún.
Today, the site is within the ground of an eco-tourism complex, so gaining access to it requires paying a fee (which seems to vary) or entering as part of a birding group.
The eco-tourism complex also has comfortable cabañas for rent, which are particularly nice if you plan to start your day of exploring extra early.
