On to the Yucatan

After we had our engine oil and filter changed in Campeche, we headed east to Edzna, this had been recommended by some of the locals.

But first we took a detour to the Far East 😊

Edzna is another Archeological site with more Maya ruins.

This is the first time we have seen round buildings and curved walls among the Maya ruins.

Edzná is a Maya archaeological site in the north of the Mexican state of Campeche. Today, the site is open to visitors.
The most remarkable building at the site is the main temple located at the plaza. Built on a platform 40 m high, it provides a wide overview of the surroundings. Another significant building located in the plaza is a ball court. Two parallel structures make up the ball court. The top rooms of the ball court were possibly used to store images of the gods associated with the events, along with items needed for the games.
Edzná was already inhabited in 400 BC, and it was abandoned c. 1500 AD. During the time of occupation, a government was set up whose power was legitimized by the relationship between governors and the deities. In the Late Classic period Edzná was part of the Calakmul polity. Edzná may have been inhabited as early as 600 BC but it took until 200 AD before it developed into a major city. The word Edzná comes from “House of the Itzaes”. The architectural style of this site shows signs of the Puuc style, even though it is far from the Puuc Hills sites. The decline and eventual abandonment of Edzná still remains a mystery today.
Edzná was discovered in 1907. The first organised excavations started in 1958. In 1986, coordinating agencies began to employ Guatemalan refugees in the excavation, restoration and maintenance at Edzná. This project was funded by various international organizations. (Wikipedia)

As it was late afternoon when we finished touring the ruins, and had to decide if we were going to stay here or find another place for the night. After weighing the options, we decided to continue north towards Progreso. We only drove about 50km/30 miles though and stopped at Xtscumbilxunaan.

There are Grottos (caves) at Xtscumbilxunaan that we wanted to visit, we also new we could camp there for the night. When we arrived, the gates were closed so we camped on the bike path as it was paved and flat and we would not be blocking the access to the entrance.

These caves were not as spectacular as we had been led to believe. The interior lighting was not working, we had to utilize headlamps instead. That said the older couple that were the caretakers where very nice people. They did not speak English, and our Spanish is very limited but they managed to get across the story of the caves.

There was also a trail which took us to a piece of rock with a human footprint imbedded into it, which we found interesting. Just how long ago did the person who made the footprint walk in that place for it to turn to rock?

After our tour of the caves we set off for Merida. On our way we passed Kabah. This is another Mayan archeological ruins right next to the road. In fact, the road runs right through the overall site which is four square kilometers.

As stated earlier, the highway goes right through the site, from the ruins on the east side of the highway you can see what’s left of a pyramid on the west side of the highway. On the other side there is also an Arch where a Mayan road starts and heads off to another Mayan site called Uxmal, which is located further north.

Kabah (also spelled Kabaah, Kabáh, Kahbah and Kaba) is a Maya archaeological site in the Puuc region of western Yucatan, south of Mérida.
Kabah is south of Uxmal, connected to that site by a 18 kilometres (11 miles) long raised causeway 5 metres (16 feet) wide with monumental arches at each end. Kabah is the second largest ruin of the Puuc region after Uxmal.
The site is on Fed 261, approximately 140 kilometres (87 miles) south from Mérida, Yucatán, towards Campeche, Campeche, and is a popular tourism destination. Ruins extend for a considerable distance on both sides of the highway; many of the more distant structures are little visited, and some are still overgrown with forest. As of 2003, a program is ongoing to clear and restore more buildings, as well as archeological excavations under the direction of archeologist Ramón Carrasco.
Kabah was declared a Yucatán state park in 1993. (Wikipedia)

 

We had not intended to visit so many ruins, in fact after Edzna we figured we had see enough, you might say we are now totally ruined 😊
We will not be visiting any more ruins while we are in Mexico. We have previously visited Chichen Itza and Tulum, these are some of the most visited ruins in the Yucatan.

Next: Progreso

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