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Maya meaning 'the place
of writing on the stones'
Dzibichaltun is an archaeological zone and eco-tourism park located between Puerto Progresso and Merida.
Dzibilchaltun was once one
of the great urban centers that flourished in the northern part of the
peninsula. With a huge water well, a population history of more than
200,000 inhabitants, and a total of 8,400 structures, Dzibilchaltun is
currently a great regional attraction.
In 1962, archaeologist E. Wyllys Andrews IV discovered an uninterrupted estatigraphic sequence that portrays over three thousand years of inhabitance. This discovery instigated a change in perspective of the site from the old concept of Dzibilchaltun as a Ceremonial center.
Beginning in 1962, the
"Open Chapel" was restored along with the temple of The Seven
Dolls. Experts reconstructed the images dated around the year 5000 BC
that emerge on the buildings during the astronomic phenomenon of the
equinoxes. There has also been work done on structure 38, where the
superposition of different constructive stages can be observed. In
1986, the Sacbe 1, which connects buildings in the great open square
(the chapel and the Temple of Seven Dolls) was partly restored. During
the excavations and reconstructions, it was confirmed that the site
dates back to the VIII and IX Centuries AC.
The ecological pathways complement the journey through the history of the mayan people who once lived at Dzibilchaltun. The region's vegetation is beautiful and the collection of butterflies and birds serve as your guides.
The cenote Xlakah, which some claim to the most beautiful in the Yucatan, has a great deal of subaquatic floating vegetation with flowers. Various species of fish and mollusk, great rock platforms that form a natural terrace and low trees covered with bromelias and orchids can also be seen. As remarked by Dr. Urcelay, who explored the depths of its waters years ago, finding ancient vessels, "the cenotes hide in their bowels many answers to the enigmas of the prehispanic mayan culture".
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