Dzibilchaltún 
How to get there
By bus from Mérida to the Dzibilchaltún turn off where taxis wait; by car on the MEX 261, turning right after 15km/9.3mi.
Situated just off the Progreso road only 17km/10.5mi north of Mérida, the Dzibilchaltún archaeological site lay neglected for a long time because of its less than spectacular buildings. It is only really in the last 20 years or so that archaeologists have come to recognise Dzibilchaltún as having been one of the largest pre-Columbian cities on the Yucatán peninsula as well as one of the longest occupied.
By bus from Mérida to the Dzibilchaltún turn off where taxis wait; by car on the MEX 261, turning right after 15km/9.3mi.
Situated just off the Progreso road only 17km/10.5mi north of Mérida, the Dzibilchaltún archaeological site lay neglected for a long time because of its less than spectacular buildings. It is only really in the last 20 years or so that archaeologists have come to recognise Dzibilchaltún as having been one of the largest pre-Columbian cities on the Yucatán peninsula as well as one of the longest occupied.
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Must-see attractions nearby:
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History Sporadic investigation in the 1940s had already shown the site to be an area of extensive and very ancient settlement. In 1956 Tulane University and the U.S. National Geographic Society began a new phase of excavation under the direction of E. Wyllys Andrews IV. It was established that Dzibilchaltún (Mayan: "where the flat stones are inscribed") had been inhabited since at least 600 bc and covered an area of more than 50sq.km/19sq.mi. Taking into account the more than 8000 buildings recorded, Dzibilchaltún has proved to be one of the largest, most ancient and perhaps the longest settled Old Indian city not only in Yucatán but in the whole of Mexico. It is even possible that a community existed here during the Archaic period, i.e. prior to 1500 bc. The city is known, furthermore, to have still been inhabited when the Spanish first arrived. Historians now believe Dzibilchaltún to have had major religious significance as a place of pilgrimage, as well as being a politically important metropolis. The population during the city's golden age is thought to have exceeded 40,000.
Many of the buildings so far uncovered date from the pre-Classic era (3rd to 1st c. bc), though some have had more recent structures superimposed on them (e.g. in the late Classic, ad 600-900). A considerable number of dated stelae have also been found, the first such stelae to be discovered in this area - as opposed to in the southern central Mayan region (Chiapas, Tabasco, Guatemala, Honduras). They included one with the relatively early date of ad 327. All the evidence points to a very early Mayan civilisation having developed independently here in the Yucatán. Such a finding conflicts with previous assumptions that Mayan culture in the more northern areas post-dated and was derivative from that of the southern central region, which later flourished in the Classic period (ad 300-900). The Spaniards destroyed the ancient buildings and, using the rubble, erected a chapel in the centre of the site. For a long time thereafter the ruins continued to be treated as a convenient source of stone.
The Ruins
Dzibilchaltún encompasses a number of ceremonial centres, linked at one time by sacbeob ("white roads"). Only a few of the structures on the vast site have been sufficiently restored to warrant visiting.
Many of the buildings so far uncovered date from the pre-Classic era (3rd to 1st c. bc), though some have had more recent structures superimposed on them (e.g. in the late Classic, ad 600-900). A considerable number of dated stelae have also been found, the first such stelae to be discovered in this area - as opposed to in the southern central Mayan region (Chiapas, Tabasco, Guatemala, Honduras). They included one with the relatively early date of ad 327. All the evidence points to a very early Mayan civilisation having developed independently here in the Yucatán. Such a finding conflicts with previous assumptions that Mayan culture in the more northern areas post-dated and was derivative from that of the southern central region, which later flourished in the Classic period (ad 300-900). The Spaniards destroyed the ancient buildings and, using the rubble, erected a chapel in the centre of the site. For a long time thereafter the ruins continued to be treated as a convenient source of stone.
The Ruins
Dzibilchaltún encompasses a number of ceremonial centres, linked at one time by sacbeob ("white roads"). Only a few of the structures on the vast site have been sufficiently restored to warrant visiting.
Related Attractions
Central Group
Building 38, one of the Central Group situated near the entrance to the archaeological zone, still retains some of its ornamentation. Remnants of some fairly early murals can also just be discerned.
Museum
The small museum at the entrance to the site contains stelae, carvings, and ceramics. Many of the exhibits were recovered from the cenote. The large Maya museum, in the form of a Maya village, was recently opened. Visitors can watch natives cooking, gardening and working at crafts. Also of interest is the ecological park with its rich flora and fauna.
Open Chapel
Standing close to the cenote, in the centre of what was the main plaza, are the remains of a large "open chapel", erected by the Spanish at the end of the 16th c. Its size and position are confirmation that Dzibilchaltún still boasted a sizeable population even at the beginning of the colonial period.
Other structures in the Central Group include the Palacio and the Templo del Pedestal.
Other structures in the Central Group include the Palacio and the Templo del Pedestal.
Temple of the Seven Dolls
The building known as the Temple of the Seven Dolls (Templo de las Siete Muñecas) or Building 1 sub, is most unusual.
Radio carbon tests on remains of timber have established that the temple dates back to the 7th c. ad It differs from all other known examples of Mayan architecture not only in its simplicity of style but also in having a square ground-plan and a window either side of the entrance. No such apertures have previously been found in any Mayan building. The temple roof-comb also departs from the traditional style, consisting as it does of a pyramid-like stump. This perhaps suggests an early form of roof-comb, possibly reflecting adjustment of the internal vaulting to the square ground-plan. Seven primitive clay figures were found inside, these being the so-called "dolls" which give the building its name. The temple, with flights of steps leading up to it on all four sides, stands, together with a number of other smaller structures, on a rectangular platform measuring some 250 3 90 m (820 3 295 ft).
Radio carbon tests on remains of timber have established that the temple dates back to the 7th c. ad It differs from all other known examples of Mayan architecture not only in its simplicity of style but also in having a square ground-plan and a window either side of the entrance. No such apertures have previously been found in any Mayan building. The temple roof-comb also departs from the traditional style, consisting as it does of a pyramid-like stump. This perhaps suggests an early form of roof-comb, possibly reflecting adjustment of the internal vaulting to the square ground-plan. Seven primitive clay figures were found inside, these being the so-called "dolls" which give the building its name. The temple, with flights of steps leading up to it on all four sides, stands, together with a number of other smaller structures, on a rectangular platform measuring some 250 3 90 m (820 3 295 ft).
Xlacah
Xlacah (Mayan: old city), the sacred cenote located at the heart of Dzibilchaltún, was clearly of great religious significance. Exploratory dives have so far yielded no less than 30,000 archaeological finds, among them clay vessels, ceramic figures, jewellery and some skeletal remains. Indications are that the sacred pool, about 30 m (98 ft) across and thought to be 45 m (148 ft) deep, was not generally used for human sacrifices. Today it offers the chance of a welcome dip.
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