Kabah

The name Kabah or Kabaah was first suggested by Estanislao Carrillo in 1846 and is usually taken to be archaic Maya language for "strong hand".

Kabah, Codz Poop palace, side view
Kabah, Codz Poop palace, side view

Kabah (also spelled Kabaah, Kabáh, Kahbah and Kaba) is a Maya archaeological site in the Puuc region of western Yucatan, south of Mérida.

Kabah is south of Uxmal, connected to that site by an 18 kilometres (11 miles) long raised causeway 5 metres (16 feet) wide with monumental arches at each end. Kabah is the second largest ruin of the Puuc region after Uxmal.

The site is on Fed. 261, approximately 140 kilometres (87 miles) south[1] from Mérida, Yucatán, towards Campeche, Campeche, and is a popular tourism destination. Ruins extend for a considerable distance on both sides of the highway; many of the more distant structures are little visited, and some are still overgrown with forest. As of 2003, a program was ongoing to clear and restore more buildings, as well as archeological excavations under the direction of archeologist Ramón Carrasco.[1]

History

The name Kabah or Kabaah was first suggested by Estanislao Carrillo in 1846 and is usually taken to be archaic Maya language for "strong hand".[2] This is a pre-Columbian name for the site, mentioned in the Book of Chilam Balam of Chumayel.[2] An alternative name is Kabahaucan or "royal snake in the hand," suggested by Teoberto Maler.[2]

The area was inhabited from the mid-3rd century BCE. Most of the architecture now visible was built between the 7th century and 11th centuries CE. J. E. S. Thompson used a sculpted doorjamb from Structure 2C6 to suggest the date of the ruin to be 879 CE, probably around the city's apex.[2] Another inscribed date found at the site is one of the latest carved in the Maya Classic style, in 987 CE.[1]


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