Muyil

20.078888888889 - 87.613888888889Koordinaten: 20 ° 4 ' 44 "N, 87 ° 36' 50 " W

Muyil is an archaeological site of the Maya in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo on the east side of the Yucatan peninsula in the Caribbean coast.

Geography

The ruins of Muyil located at today's settlement Chunyaxché, 20 km southeast of Tulum right on the Carretera 307, the road connecting the tourist centers of Cancun and Playa del Carmen in the north and the state capital of Chetumal on the border with Belize. You already belong to the Municipio Felipe Carrillo Puerto.

The site is located on the territory of the 1987 World Heritage designated by UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Sian Ka'an. In the nature reserve about 20 smaller Mayan sites have been discovered. The building Muyil were built in close proximity to a freshwater lagoon, the Muyil Lagoon, after which the ruins is named.

Muyil belonged to the Caribbean coast trade network of the Maya. From the ruins, led a Sacbé the banks of the (formerly larger ) Muyil Lagoon. This in turn has a drain (or piercing? ) For Chunyaxché Lagoon (also Xlahpak or Xlabpak Lagoon ). The water flow of Chunyaxché lagoon, a broad and restricted navigable channel leading to the Caribbean coast and the Mayan ruins on the narrow elongated peninsula, lies the modern Punta Allen at the southern tip. The distance to the coast Muyils is 15 km ( straight line ).

History

It is likely that the Mayan settlement in the territory of the later Muyil already in the late Preclassic (300 BC to 250 AD ) began, but no buildings of this period are available.

In the classic Maya ( 250-900 AD) the population grew and were formed around 600 AD trade relations along the coast, the most likely reached to the salt flats of Belize. To increasing residential development came first ritual buildings.

However, most of the architectural remains date from the post-classical period (900 - 1500 AD), in which the city was at first under the reign of Chichén Itzá, and later under that of Mayapán. She was part of the coastal trade network that the Caribbean coast retreated with a large number of locations along the region and transported economically. To him the northerly mainland port locations Tancah / Tulum, Xel Ha, Xcaret, El Rey and El Meco included as well as the connected islands Isla Mujeres and Cozumel.

The city was under the direct area of ​​the Mayan city of Coba, which was a regional power center. Later Muyil belonged in the regional breakdown Boys, which divides the Maya area for the 16th century reign in 16 districts, in the political sphere of influence of the city ECAC. The pre-Hispanic city was probably inhabited up to the extensive conquest of the Caribbean coast by the Spaniards in 1550; However Muyil existed as a village until 1871 when it was founded in the turmoil of war left box of some of its inhabitants and about 35 miles to the north, the New Place San Antonio Muyil.

Building

The pre-Hispanic city consists of two sections, A and Muyil Muyil B. In Part A, various architectural groups find with pyramidal structures, temples, altars and platforms, systems for residential buildings and a 500 m long Sacbé as well as a network of walls. In some buildings there are stucco and the remains of red, black, blue wall paintings. A 17 m high building carries on its top a small round temple room, an atypical for this region construction. In one of the two underlying sanctuaries cult objects were found in colored stone and shells.

In part B are few platforms, civil and religious buildings and some walls.

Similar to the Tulum Zeremonialbezirk was probably surrounded by a wall.