Calakmul
This enormous Ancient Maya site is way down south in the Yucatan Peninsular and a full day's drive to get there. It is far inside the high canopied jungle of the southern part of the state of Campeche
and lay hidden for 1000 years until it was discovered by American Explorer Cyrus Longworth Lundell in 1931. He called it “the city of two adjacent mounds.”
Calakmul comes from the Maya words CA (two) LAK (nearby), and MUL
(mound).
It is in the
biosphere reserve of Calakmul about 200 miles from the City of Campeche and just 20 miles from the border with Guatemala. The reserve was created in
1989 and covers an area of approximately 180,000 acres, which is almost
13 percent of the total state of Campeche's territory.
In this area jaguars, howler monkeys, deer, pumas, wild cats and
many other mammals make their home. The jungle also houses many kinds
of spiders, reptiles, insects and more than 800 plant species. Some of
the plants found there include the Ramón (Brosimun Alicastrum), a plant
that was an important source of food for the Mayas, and the Zapote
(Achras Zapota), a tree that provided Mayans with wood, fruit and
chicle - chewing gum.
Restoration and mapping of the site was only begun in 1985. The city was the most powerful in the area
at the time and thanks to the exten
sive carvings and iconography, archaeologists know a lot of details about the Powerful Kings that ruled over it. It extended over 10 square miles and had over 600 structures. More are still being
discovered. The population at its peak was over 50,000. The site has a
wealth of Stelae and 108 have been found so far. The dates on the stelae
range from AD 514 to 990.
