Ruins Of Kabah: An Impressive Center Of Mayan Culture
The Kabah ruins are not the most famous Mayan-era site in Mexico. And yet, anyone who experiences it and feels it in the first person is capable of appreciating its value. In some way, its monumentality makes it clear to this day that we are in an important place for that mythical pre-Columbian culture.
Where are the ruins of Kabah
This archaeological site is in the Yucatan peninsula, and belongs to the municipality of Santa Elena. However, to get there you must take as a reference the closest city, which is Ticul. Or, a slightly older nucleus, such as Mérida.
The latter is undoubtedly a good place to rent a car. This will allow you to enter the roads of the area to follow the Puuc route, where the ruins of Kabah are integrated.
Why the Puuc route? Because it is the name given to this region where the ruins of Kabah are, being a landscape of constant hills. And even the name is applied to a Mayan architectural style typical of here, which we will discover in Kabah and in other nearby sites, such as Uxmal.
The road from Uxmal to Kabah
We are not talking about the current road that takes us from the ancient city of Uxmal to the ruins of Kabah. We refer to the old Mayan road that linked both urban centers, which were the most important in this region. In fact, historians do not agree when it comes to assigning dominance to Uxmal or Kabah.
The fact is that that old Mayan road ran for about 20 kilometers through the jungle, and reached the current ruins of Kabah, where there is a great triumphal arch that indicates the end (or beginning) of that road.
The ruined state of Kabah
The archaeological heritage in Mexico is so large and of such a category that it is difficult to maintain it in a good state of conservation. To this must be added the force of nature, since in the most tropical areas such as this one, the jungle develops unstoppably and is capable of hiding cities like this in a short time.
However, although there is still much to excavate and discover, it is true that in Kabah you can admire some elements of enormous presence. Especially those that we quote below:
The Teocalli Palace
The largest building in the Kabah ruins is what has been called the Teocalli Palace. And it is also one of the best-preserved buildings in the complex.
It is a residence built on a natural elevation of the land, which gives it even more presence. It has a powerful facade in two heights that appears decorated by small columns.
The Palace of the Masks
This is the great gem of the Kabah Ruins and it is also called the Codz Poop. The fact is that the most representative are the hundreds of carved masks of the god Chaac. In no other Mayan site have there been so many representations of this deity.
These stone masks are accompanied by an elaborate geometric decoration and the usual representations of intertwined snakes. All this makes it a very attractive and photogenic building.
The great pyramid
And to finish, we have to talk about its Great Pyramid, with the temple in the upper area. What would a Mayan site be without a pyramid for the rituals of that culture? It is a type of structure that is seen in almost all Mayan sites, both in Mexico, Guatemala or Belize.
It is also true that there are more beautiful and taller than Kabah. However, it is undeniable that the set of all these ruins has enormous evocative power.
Being here one does not stop imagining how those people lived. And we have more questions than answers. Which is not negative. On the contrary, it is one of the best things that can happen to us when we travel to certain places on the planet.
