Becan

Becan is an archaeological site and sat as a center of the Maya Preclassic the period. It is located in the Mexican state of Campeche in the center of the Yucatán Peninsula, 150 kilometers north of Tikal.

The name Becan means in Mayathan " canyon, formed by water" and refers to the surrounding moat, which is unique for a Mayan locality. The place was described in 1934 by Karl Ruppert and John Denison first time scientifically, which are also responsible for the naming. The historical name is not known.

  • 3.1 Building VIII
  • 3.2 Building X
  • 3.3 Pyramid IX
  • 3.4 Playing field

History and organization

Becan, which was built in the Rio Bec style, was a regional religious and political center of the Maya. The first evidence of human settlement go to the year 600 BC. However, the heyday of the town was in the years 600-1000, the city was inhabited until about 1250.

The city is surrounded by a moat, which was broken in seven places. He was thus not an effective military obstacle or was not completed as such. The large amount of work for the ditch evidence, however, from a strategic location in the center of the peninsula and possibly continuous disputes with other cities in the region. However, the trench may also have served only as a spatial separation of the inner area of the monumental buildings of the dwellings located in the vicinity of ordinary people.

In the space enclosed by the ditch complex there are several groups of buildings, which are arranged around approximately rectangular courtyards or squares. According to the Rio Bec style of the great buildings are mostly combinations of palatial buildings with numerous interiors and high lateral towers, which were not accessible.

Outside of the trench are four major groups of buildings, most of which also have totems, and a large number of small on an area of ​​at least 72 ha

Southern Place

This place is closest to the modern approach. It is approximately square and surrounded on all sides by buildings, however, very different. Near the center is an obviously built in later times round the altar platform.

Building I

The building is an unusual combination of a wide, arranged on different levels of investment. On the lower level, two parallel rows are to be found of 7 rooms, which are oriented to the south, outside of the square. A transverse space on the east side located next to an angularly designed interior staircase that leads up to the level of the square. At the second level, across from the bottom to reset the width of the spaces, can be found again two chains of five rooms this time, also oriented to the south. The inputs of these rooms are divided by walls slices in three openings each. This building was built in the Late Klassikum ( 730-830 AD). The back of the building facing the square is occupied by two unusually massive towers with a square base, between which a wall block forms a lower connection. This is one of the last building projects in Becan at the beginning of Endklassikums after 800 AD

At the transition from the early Postclassic Endklassikum an extension was built to the south front of the building, which consisted of a simple residential building. As building material elements from older buildings were reused, the roof was not bricked, but formed on a low wall wooden base and Palblättern. A little later came close in a similar design, a small temple on a low four-stage pyramid.

Building II

It is a located on the west side of the square square building. Unearthed has only been of the square facing part: Here run two rows of rooms with five room entrances. Behind the middle three rooms are rear rooms. On the facade also two narrow inputs are visible on both sides of the central input, one of which leads to an inner stairway at the second level, while the other leads into a smaller space. More Interior stairs lead to the third, on which a temple is located, which is oriented to the west from the second level.

Building III

Compared with the Building II on the east side of the square is a building arranged on two levels. On the lower level of a simple chain of rooms, facing the square is. It is in each of the two parts of the building by two spaces between which a more or less well-preserved staircase leads to a running front of the rooms of the upper level platform, which originally also included the roof of the downstairs rooms and has been correspondingly wide. Between the buildings is also a narrow internal staircase goes to the same level. On the northern narrow side is another room. At the second level, the two parts of buildings which are separated by a running in the extension of the inner stairway, two rows of rooms. Where the passage led, is no longer detectable. The northern component thus comprises 6 rooms, all of which are accessible from the side of the square. The southern part has only 5 rooms, during the course of the middle area of the front row of a massive tower with the usual unbesteigbaren staircase is taken. With the right space, the underlying, the adjacent thereto leads to another input, which led to a presumably east of the building upstream on the second level platform. It can be assumed that there existed a similar design as on the side facing the courtyard.

Building IV

The most complex building of Becan and certainly one of the most complicated of the entire Maya area located on the north side of the square, but did show sides in all four directions. While it comes to Southern square, the impression of a high temple building in the at the top of the stairs leads the characteristic snake mouth portal, it is on the opposite side, in the north, a staggered over several levels palace. The originally -been existing staircase and facade are only available in small fragments.

It is worth noting especially that behind the snake mouth input space is not a temple at the top of the pyramid- like building, but a bit of deeper courtyard, from which interiors are available on all four sides. The patio was reached not only about the monumental staircase in the south of the Southern Court, but also by a number of internal stairs from the northern palace part and a very narrow, covered running under the steep, inaccessible staircase on the west side in slight serpentine staircase that resulted in a niche of one of the side rooms.

In this courtyard and the adjacent rooms and the rooms of the north side on three levels is the residence of one of the local ruling families, in a sacred aspect ( emphasized by the Schlangenmaueingang ) were associated with the sent a representative residential neighborhood. Excavations have shown that conceals an older building inside the massive building's core.

Central Square

Northwest of the Southern Square is another place that closed less, but is considerably larger. The buildings VIII and X, are opposed to it, while the highest with about 32 meters pyramid occupies a portion of the north side.

Building VIII

The floor plan is typical of the Rio Bec style, but giving way to the high location on a large, pyramid-like substructure on the schema as well as from the design of the central entrance with brick pillars. Noteworthy are the hidden rooms with high vaulted ceilings inside, which could be reached by a low access on the south side. Since the walls of these rooms were not plastered, man, they were only built for the purpose of saving material and Gewichtsenlastung takes, but served no other purpose. The monumental exterior staircase leading to a platform between the bases of two towers with non- climbable stairs. On the platform is completely uncommon a stele. Behind it is a kind of portico, whose front was supported by six massive brick thick pillars. From this room a wide passage leads through two rooms on the other side of the building to an originally broad platform that gave access to the rooms located next to the passage of two rooms on each side. These spaces are unusually long. From the platform and transversely mounted in rooms inputs supplied at the two ends. From the northern led a narrow, multi- articulated internal staircase into the north tower.

Building X

Similar to the building IV combined this a palace with a sacred part. To the east, towards the square, only a broad, monumental staircase, which leads to an input with snake foot- decor is. On either side of this facade extend the usual towers with sparkle stairs. On the back, in the West, is also located here on several levels a confusing web of interiors, which led to close, mostly original interior stairs.

North and south close to the massive building part two courtyards with rooms on all sides. These rooms are on ground level, only those that connect to the central part of the building, have a significantly higher level. Access to the courts is carried out by vaulted passages from the outside.

Pyramid IX

The design of this structure differs from the Río Bec style, reminiscent of buildings to the south and southwest, such as Calakmul structure II are located on three different levels on both sides of the grand staircase small space units, each with three inputs. From the actual temple building at the top only small remnants remain. The building has a long history of building. First, in the late Preclassic ( between 100 BC and 250) was built a pyramid, which was almost as high as the current building. She carried on the front on both sides of the stairs that are characteristic of this period of great masks made ​​of stone and stucco. At the beginning of the Classic is a small building was built with interior on the top of the pyramid. In the late Klassikum the entire pyramid was sheathed and created the spaces at the side of the erected at this time stairs. Above the stairs is the badly damaged and broken stele 3, some stone monument in Becán with at least partially legible text.

Playground for ball games

Behind the building X is a north-south orientation of the ball court of Becan.

Exploration and development

Becan was first described in the scientific literature in 1934 by archaeologists Karl Ruppert and John Denison, who had the place in the context of an expedition of the Carnegie Institute, Washington explored. This also established its present name. From 1969 to 1971 excavations under the direction of E. Wyllys Andrews IV by the Middle American Research Institute at Tulane University were made, which were then continued under the direction of Román Piña Chan by the INAH. Later, Ricardo Bueno was vorantwortlich for further excavations. Today, the main structures are restored and are open for tourism.

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