The Archaeological site of Calakmul is located very deeply in the jungles of Petén
Basin, over 1,800,000 acre of the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve in
the State of Campeche, Mexico; into the limits of the municipalities of Champotón
and Hopelchén; and 30 kilometres from the Guatemalan border.
This preponderant Maya site was the major urban center of the Classic Period, with
more than 500 archaeological pieces, so that, it is consider the biggest valuable
texts deposit of dynastic Maya because of there are many steles surrounding
the Main Plaza.
Over 6,750 ancient Calakmul structures, the largest one is the
Great Pyramid of 55 metres high and 4 tombs inside, being the tallest Pyramid of the
whole Maya Pyramids, and as many other similar constructions, to reach
its current size, 2 square kilometres, it was increased by building upon other existing
temples; and the whole site covered with residential structures is about 20 square
kilometres.
Being also the biggest Maya City of Mexico, next to Palenque in
Mexico and Tikal in Guatemala, Calakmul was part
of this powerful triangle. It is also one of the richest places in structures including
117 steles, the largest number in Mexico, which represent its rules
and their wives. However, due to they are sculpted in soft limestone, most of them
have eroded making harder, and in some cases, impossible to interpret them.
There were also discovered many detailed murals in Calakmul, which in the opposite
of other cultures, these murals do not represent the elite activities, in the other
hand, the scenes detailed are from the people during the food preparation and eating
like maize drink, tamales, etc. The murals also have glyphs describing daily events,
and the most prominent is a lady, nowadays known as Señora Piedra 9.
Among other important materials, there are many pieces of ceramic, which allows
to the anthropologists to identify and know better the thoughts of the people who
lived in the archaeological site.
Calakmul represent the ecological line of Yucatan Peninsula, located in the middle
of tropical forests with a warm and sub-humid climate and rains during the summer,
while during the winter the temperature descend sometimes until 32ºF. This combination
has allowed the creation of rich fauna, including jaguars, turkey vultures, xoco-pheasant,
toucan, three types of eagles, tapirs, peraries, anteaters, armadillos, parrots,
400 species of butterflies, 147 types of vertebrates, and rich flora with the famous orchids, and about 1600 varieties of plants.
This amazing Archaeological Site is open to the public during the whole week, from
8am to 5pm.
History
Ever since its inception, the Calakmul city received influences from both the north
and the south, showing its role as an early geographic center in the Maya Area,
however it also was part of a Region composed by El Mirador,
Nakbé and Uaxactún, other archaeological sites.
Overview of Calakmul
One century earlier of the Central Maya Area collapse, due to the defeat of its
leader Garra de Jaguar, the Calakmul rulers were trying to intensify
their political strategies to the north in order to be part of the whole peninsula
peak. During the first half of the
Late Classic Period, Calakmul kept its political
dominance over the Central Maya Area, reaching its maximum peak.
Culturally, Calakmul have been considered as the capital of a Regional Maya State
during the Classic Period, making of it a superpower enemy of Tikal, the other city
which Calakmul was always disputing the hegemony of the Central Maya Area with,
during the Classic Period.
During the sixth and seventh centuries of this era, Calakmul had also the dominance
of the social and political life of the area, allowing to its ruling class to play
an important role into the political thinking; and at the same time, this made possible
that certain number of cities participated as allied of Calakmul, creating in some
degree, what nowadays is consider as The Calakmul Kingdom.
During its time, this archaeological site was a superpower Maya city over both regions
North of Peten and South of Yucatan. Calakmul was able to administer a huge domain
featured by the extensive distribution of an emblem the glyph of the Snake Head
Sign, establishing to be the Serpent Head Polity.
As same as Tikal, the Serpent Head Polity reigned during most of the Classic Maya
Period with an estimated population of 50,000 people and influenced governments
from 150 kilometres far away.
Calakmul was first discovered on December 29th, 1931, from the air by Cyrus L. Lundell,
a biologist of the Mexican Exploitation Chicle Company, but in March 1932 it was
reported to Sylvanus G. Morley of the Carnegie Institute at Chichen Itzá.