Dzibilchaltun, Mexico Tour Pictures And Photos

George And Audrey DeLange

Dzibilchaltun (see-bee-ell-chahlt-toon): "Place where there is writing on the stones" The archaeological site of Dzibilchaltun is located only 15 kilometers from the city of Merida. Dzibilchaltun is identified as one of the most ancient Mayan Centers in the northern zone, the name signifies "Place where there is writing on the stones." It was inhabited from about 500 years B.C. until the arrival of the Spaniards. Its ancient inhabited area covered close to 17 square kilometers and it was connected to other Mayan population centers by stone roads called sacbes. According to hundreds of vestiges found in the area, Dzibilchaltun had about 40 thousand inhabitants in its apogee and carried on commerce because of its close proximity to the seacoast. It carried on intensive trade with products such as salt and fish. Its principal source of water supply was the sinkhole X´lakah, which during the 1950´s was explored by a group of scientific investigators headed by the archaeologist, E.Willys Andrews, under the sponsorship of Tulane University. In the cenote´s depths they found fossils and Mayan ceramic shards. The Temple of the Seven Dolls is an outstanding structure to which the archaeologist, Victor Segovia, assigned the purpose of the ceremonial rites dedicated to the sun and the moon with devout masses of the general population in attendance. In fact, "The Temple of Seven Dolls" has an alignment with the sun during equinox. One theory concerning the ceremonies is that the governing class carried out various ceremonies of light and shade to reinforce their roles as the intermediaries between the sun god and the general populace.