Nohoch Mul or Ixmoja is a Maya pyramid located in the ancient pre-Columbian city of

Coba Coba () is an ancient Maya city on the Yucatán Peninsula, located in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. The site is the nexus of the largest network of stone causeways of the ancient Maya world, and it contains many engraved and sculpted stelae ...

in the state of

Quintana Roo Quintana Roo, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Quintana Roo, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, constitute the 32 administrative divisions of Mexico, federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into municipalities of ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

with a height of 42 meters (138 ft) considered the tallest Maya structure and pyramid in the north of the

Yucatán Peninsula The Yucatán Peninsula ( , ; ) is a large peninsula in southeast Mexico and adjacent portions of Belize and Guatemala. The peninsula extends towards the northeast, separating the Gulf of Mexico to the north and west of the peninsula from the C ...

, it consists of a large stepped base topped by a temple at the top. It was built in the Classic period of the

Maya civilization The Maya civilization () was a Mesoamerican civilization that existed from antiquity to the early modern period. It is known by its ancient temples and glyphs (script). The Maya script is the most sophisticated and highly developed writin ...

and was occupied until the post-classic period. The Nohoch Mul pyramid is the main structure of Coba and is located in the architectural complex known as group A (or also called Nohoch Mul group in reference to the main pyramid), which contains the largest buildings in the city. The name Nohoch Mul comes from the

Maya language The Mayan languages In linguistics, it is conventional to use ''Mayan'' when referring to the languages, or an aspect of a language. In other academic fields, ''Maya'' is the preferred usage, serving as both a singular and plural noun, and a ...

(''Nojoch Muul'') and means “great mound” in reference to the dimensions of the structure.

History

The Nohoch Mul pyramid dates to the classic period of the Maya civilization and was built during the great urban development that the city of Coba had during its peak and development as a political center. A large limestone hieroglyphic stela found near the pyramid contains an extensive inscription recording the

long count Long count or slow count is a term used in boxing. When a boxer is knocked down in a fight, the referee will count over them and the boxer must rise to their feet, unaided, by the count of ten or else deemed to have been knocked out A knockout ...

date of ''9.6.15.6.9. 13 Muluk 12 Sip'' which corresponds to May 12, 569 AD as the founding of a site called Keh Witz Nal that could be the original name of the area where the group A complex of Coba was built or one of its structures like the Nohoch Mul pyramid. During the post-classical period, the main buildings of Coba were remodeled implementing new regional architectural elements. The temple on the top of the Nohoch Mul pyramid was built following the architecture of the East Coast of Quintana Roo.

Architecture

The structure of the Nohoch Mul pyramid is a monumental pyramidal base with 7 levels and rounded edges with a central staircase of 120 steps leading to the temple at the top of the pyramid and a staircase on the side leading to a lower platform.

References

{{coord, 20.4947, -87.7202, type:landmark_region:MX, display=title Maya architecture Pyramids in Mexico 6th century in the Maya civilization Buildings and structures in Mesoamerica Tourist attractions in Quintana Roo Tourism in Mexico