Toniná

The excavation site of Toniná lies 14km/8.7mi east of Ocosingo. This Maya site experienced its heyday during Maya Classic period in the 8th and 9th c. From inscriptions on stelae it has been established that Ruler 3 of Toniná took Kan-zul (Maya: "precious animal"), the ruler of Palenque, prisoner in ad 711.

The site extends over seven terraces on a hill, at the foot of which are two ball game courts. A large number of stelae dated from between ad 495 and 909, round calendar stones and human sculptures without heads were found in the excavation area. Particularly noteworthy finds are an underground chamber with a typical overhanging arch and a wooden door lintel, a tomb with a sarcophagus, large stone masks and stucco figures. Finds