Campeche Hotels, Photos, Attractions and Hotel Rates and Reservations: Mayan Ruins

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Campeche Mayan Ruins

Campeche Mexico is home to many beautiful Mayan ruins, most located within miles of each other.  These ruins are constructed in the unique "Rio Bec" style architecture which combines the styles of the both the Chenes and Peten cultures.

The Rio Bec style architecture is characterized by the use of well-cut stone blocks covered with stucco and rounded corners. The interior benches are wide and false temples and high towers are imbedded in the principal buildings. You will see many estelas and friezes and the most common decorative motifs are cross-shaped elements, symbols for wind and the masks of Itzimna, also called the Earth Monster.

Calakmul

Calakmul is located in the 1,800,000 acre Calakmul Biosphere Reserve near the Guatemalan border in Campeche.  It was discovered in 1931 and means City of Two Adjacent Pyramids in the Maya language.  It is thought to have been a city of 50,000 and so far more than 6,750 structures have been discovered. Here you will find the tallest pyramid found in Mexico as well as many estelas whose inscriptions tell events which happened during the fifteen hundred years the site was inhabited.  It was named to the UNESCO World Heritage Site list in 2002.  

To arrive, take highway 186 either from Escarcega, Campeche or Chetumal, Quintana Roo.  Once you reach the entrance to the Biosphere, the ruins can be found 60 kilometers from the main highway.  The road, while in good condition, turns to one lane so allow an hour and half to drive through the biosphere.  Check rates and availability for Calakmul hotels,   More pictures

Becan

The name Becan comes from the Mayan word for trench which is what surrounds the most important buildings.  The access for this zone was restricted to 7 entrances with bridges and the trench was thought to have been built either to protect the city from attacks or possibly as a social status to separate the elite on the inside.  Becan was the political, economic and religious capital of the Rio Bec region.  

The earliest archaeological evidence dates from 550 B.C. period in which the Olmec culture was declining in La Venta Tabasco.  The apogee took place between 600 and 800 AD.  At this time, Cholula regained importance and Tajin Guatemala reached its splendor.  Becan was abandoned around 1200 AD when Tula and Mitla in Oaxaca were in their prosperous period.  The city is located in the southern portion of the state 160 kms from Escarcega on Hwy 186 and a little more than a hour drive from Chetumal.  More pictures

Xpujil

The Xpujil ruins are quite small but only a few miles from Becan and Chicanna and worth the stop.  The site was rediscovered in the 1930s.  Since then it has been known as Xpujil, a Mayan word referring the type of vegetation, similar to a cattail, which grows around the principal water hole. 

The buildings here are skeletons of what once were magnificent examples of the Rio Bec style.  All were covered with a stucco finish and painted with bright colors and occasionally had rich decorations and carvings molded in stucco forming mosaics of serpents or the popular checkerboard type patterns.  The period of splendor dates to 500 and 750 AD and its decline dates to 1100 AD. 

The Xpujil ruins are located in the center of the city of Xpujil.  Here you will find several hotels and a great place to spend a night to view the Rio Bec route.  It is also a little more than an hours drive from Chetumal, Quintana Roo where you will find a larger selection of hotels.  More pictures

Chicanna

In Chicanna, the builders took advantage of the slightly high elevation to construct several groups of rooms and enclosures for carrying out ritual ceremonies.  Evidence of occupation dates back to the period known as the Late Preclassic (300 BC to 200 AD) while the last stages of activity date to the Early Post classic (1100 AD).  The ancient name is not known and was named Chicanna  when discovered in 1966.  The name refers to structure II which alludes to the House of the Serpent mouth.  Chi, mouth, can, serpent and na, house.

Due to its location, dimensions and rich decoration of the buildings, it has been considered a small elitist center of Becan which possibly served as a residential zone for the rulers of Becan.  More pictures

Balamku

A small set of ruins with an impressive room of friezes or stucco sculptures.  One of the sculptures of a jaguar gave the site its name which means "Jaguar's Temple" in the Mayan language.  There are only a few monuments here, but the largest contains a large set of sculptures inside the ruins which is impressive to see.  Photography is allowed inside the monument, however flashes are not.  More pictures

Edzna

Edzna was founded around 400 BC and covers an area approximately 3 by 3 kms.  Edzna is located close to Campeche City and is not included in the Rio Bec Tour.  Some technological advancements used at Edzna are as advanced system of hydraulic works and drainage systems.  The city is located in the northern part of the state, 60 kms south-east of Campeche City.  More pictures

Note:  The Rio Bec route, located in the south, can easily be enjoyed in a two day tour.  Suggested arrival is to fly to Cancun and either take the bus or rent a car to Chetumal.  From Chetumal, the Rio Bec route can be reached within an hour and half drive arriving first in the town of Xpuhil.  (From Chetumal, renting a car is suggested).  You will find several Xpujil hotels from budget to luxury hotels.  Also you may arrive from Campeche via Escarcega.

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