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Ah Ulil
Ah Ulil or more commonly Ulil was a Maya ruler of Izamal during the eleventh century. Before Ulil was born his uncle, Ah Tunal saw the invasion of Chichen Itza by the Toltecs. They were led by Ce Acatl Topiltzin, referred to in Maya mythology as Kukulcan. One day Ulil was attacked by a jaguar. He managed to kill it but was seriously wounded. He was saved Ix Xail, sister of Chaka, his most serious rival at pok-ol-pok. While recovering from his wounds he worked with his uncle. Ah Tunal had the task of carving frescoes of the Toltec conquerors Ulil sculpted a jaguar. Later, Ulil's team won the Chichen Itza pok-ol-pok championship. They visited other cities. Kukulcan commissioned a statue of himself to remind the people of his rule while he was away in Tula. During this time there was a drought and Ix Xail was chosen as a sacrifice to the rain god Yum Chac. A large rain storm stopped the drought and saved her. In 1194 Canek was the king of Chichen Itza. The same day he was electe ...
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Izamal
Izamal () is a small city in the Mexican Yucatán (state), state of Yucatán, east of state capital Mérida, Yucatán, Mérida, in southern Mexico. Izamal was continuously occupied throughout most of Mesoamerican chronology; in 2000, the city's estimated population was 15,000 people. Izamal is known in Yucatán as the Yellow City (most of its buildings are painted yellow) and the City of Hills (that actually are the remains of ancient Mesoamerican pyramid, temple pyramids). Pre-Columbian Izamal Izamal is an important archaeological site of the Pre-Columbian Maya civilization. It is probably the biggest city of the Northern Yucatec Plains, covering a minimal urban extension of . Its monumental buildings exceed 1,000,000 cubic meters of constructive volume and at least two raised causeways, known by their Mayan term ''sacbeob'', connect it with other important centers, Ruins of Ake, located to the west and Kantunil, 18 kilometers to the south, evidencing the religious, polit ...
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Chichen Itza
Chichén Itzá , , often with the emphasis reversed in English to ; from () "at the mouth of the well of the Itza people, Itza people" (often spelled ''Chichen Itza'' in English and traditional Yucatec Maya) was a large Pre-Columbian era, pre-Columbian Mayan city, city built by the Maya people of the Mesoamerican chronology, Terminal Classic period. The archeological site is located in Tinúm Municipality, Yucatán (state), Yucatán State, Mexico. Chichén Itzá was a major focal point in the Northern Maya Lowlands from the Mesoamerican chronology, Late Classic ( AD 600–900) through the Terminal Classic ( AD 800–900) and into the early portion of the Postclassic period ( AD 900–1200). The site exhibits a multitude of Maya architecture, architectural styles, reminiscent of styles seen in central Mexico and of the Puuc and Chenes styles of the Northern Maya lowlands. The presence of central Mexican styles was once thought to have been representative of direct migration ...
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Kukulcan
K’uk’ulkan, also spelled Kukulkan (; "Plumed Serpent", "Amazing Serpent"), is the serpent deity of Maya mythology. It is closely related to the deity Qʼuqʼumatz of the Kʼicheʼ people and to Quetzalcoatl of Aztec mythology. Prominent temples to Kukulkan are found at archaeological sites in the Yucatán Peninsula, such as Chichen Itza, Uxmal and Mayapan. The depiction of the Feathered Serpent is present in other cultures of Mesoamerica. Although heavily Mexicanised, Kukulkan has its origins among the Maya of the Classic Period. Little is known of the mythology of this Pre-Columbian era deity. Etymology In the Yucatec Maya language, the name is spelt ''Kʼukʼulkan'' () and in Tzotzil it is ''Kʼukʼul-chon'' (). The Yucatec form of the name is formed from the word ''kuk'' "feather" with the adjectival suffix ''-ul'', giving ''kukul'' "feathered", combined with ''kan'' "snake" (Tzotzil ''chon''), giving a literal meaning of "feathered snake". In the Chol-Ch'orti'-T ...
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Mesoamerican Ballgame
The Mesoamerican ballgame (, , ) was a sport with ritual associations played since at least 1650 BC by the pre-Columbian people of Ancient Mesoamerica. The sport had different versions in different places during the millennia, and a modernized version of the game, ''ulama'', is still played by the indigenous populations in some places.Fox, John (2012)''The ball: discovering the object of the game"'' 1st ed., New York: Harper. . Cf. Chapter 4: "Sudden Death in the New World" about the Ulama game. The rules of the Mesoamerican ballgame are not known, but judging from its descendant, ulama, they were probably similar to racquetball, where the aim is to keep the ball in play. The stone ballcourt goals are a late addition to the game. In the most common theory of the game, the players struck the ball with their hips, although some versions allowed the use of forearms, rackets, bats, or handstones. The ball was made of solid rubber and weighed as much as 9 lbs (4 kg), a ...
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Tula (Mesoamerican Site)
Tula ( Otomi: Mämeni) is a Mesoamerican archeological site, which was an important regional center which reached its height as the capital of the Toltec Empire between the fall of Teotihuacan and the rise of Tenochtitlan. It has not been well studied in comparison to these other two sites, and disputes remain as to its political system, area of influence and its relations with contemporary Mesoamerican cities, especially with Chichen Itza. The site is located in the city of Tula de Allende in the Tula Valley, in what is now the southwest of the Mexican state of Hidalgo, northwest of Mexico City. The archeological site consists of a museum, remains of an earlier settlement called Tula Chico as well as the main ceremonial site called Tula Grande. The main attraction is the Pyramid of Quetzalcoatl, which is topped by four basalt columns carved in the shape of Toltec warriors. Tula fell around 1150, but it had significant influence in the following Aztec Empire, with its history ...
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Hunac Ceel
Hunac Ceel Cauich (fl. late 12th and early 13th centuries) was a Maya general from Telchaquillo who conquered Chichen Itzá and founded the Cocom dynasty. While the rulers of Chichen Itzá were in part descendants of Toltec outsiders who might have been disliked for being foreign oppressors or the war a simple one of conquest, the Maya history attributes the cause of the war to the theft of a wife of a powerful ruler by a powerful lord. (On the other hand, rulers of both the attackers and the attacked are labeled Itzá.) According to the history, Hunac Ceel, also known as Cauich, unsuccessfully fought the Itzás, having been taken captive. Ah Mex K'uuk threw him into the sacred cenote of Chichén Itzá as a sacrifice to the gods. However, he survived an entire night in the water. He told a prophecy of the rain god Chaac about the year's coming harvest. He went on, under the sponsorship of Ah Mex K'uuk, to become lord of Mayapan, a city which, along with Chichen Itzá and Uxm ...
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Maya Monarchs
Maya monarchs, also known as Maya kings and queens, were the centers of power for the Maya civilization. Each Mayan cities, Maya city-state was controlled by a dynasty of kings. The position of king was usually inherited by the oldest son. Symbols of power Maya kings felt the need to legitimize their claim to power. One of the ways to do this was to build a temple or Mesoamerican pyramid, pyramid. Tikal Temple I is a good example. This temple was built during the reign of Yikʼin Chan Kʼawiil. Another king named Kʼinich Janaabʼ Pakal would later carry out this same show of power when building the Temple of Inscriptions at Palenque. The Temple of Inscriptions still towers today amid the ruins of Palenque, as the supreme symbol of influence and power in Palenqusix. Succession Maya kings cultivated godlike personas. When a ruler died and left no heir to the throne, the result was usually war and bloodshed. King Pacal's precursor, Pacal I, died upon the battlefield. However, inste ...
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