Edzna, Campeche, Mexico Tour Or Travel
Pictures And Photos Page Two

George And Audrey DeLange

Edzna, Campeche: A brief history. The ruins of Edzna lie 50 kilometers southeast of Campeche City; their architecture represents the southern extent of the Classic Maya architectural style known as the Puuc. Before the Puuc entered the area, however, Edzna was home to a thriving population who built the most extensive canal and irrigation network in the Maya region, supporting a population in the tens of thousands. Edzna lies in a wide, flat valley in the drainage of the Rio Champoton. Good soils and a stable supply of water probably brought the first settlers here. The valley's first permanent residents entered the area about 400 B.C.; they were of a great migration of people from the Petén Jungle to the north of Yucatan. The earliest Edzna (400-250 B.C.) was a small agricultural settlement at the northern end of the current site. They used the clay soils to build aguadas or artificial ponds with raised sides-to store water in the dry season. Between 250 B.C. and A.D. 150, Edzna underwent a period of phenomenal growth, reaching its maximum population and extent. The key to its success was the construction of the huge system of canals and reservoirs. The aqueducts stretched for many kilometers, the longest being the 12-kilometer canal from the ceremonial center south to the Rio Champoton. This huge project could not have been completed without thousands of laborers and decades of work.. Researchers believe this Late Preclassic city was the product of urban planning under the reign of one or two powerful monarchs.. Edzna also had a moat that surrounded Edzna for defensive purposes. After A.D. 150, Edzna’s construction slows down and large-scale construction stops. In A.D. 600, monumental construction suddenly resumes around the ceremonial center. Between A.D. 600 and 75O, the first stages of the Great and Little Acropolises were erected and the first dated stelae were carved. The hieroglyphic staircase at the base of the Building of Five Stories is dated A.D. 731. A large part of this history can be found in "Archaeological Mexico, by Andrey Coe. We highly recommend reading this book prior to traveling to Mexico.