Edzna is Campeche's most visited Mayan ruins. Is one of the Mexico's archaeological treasure. Edzna, founded around 600 to 300 B. C., appears to have been one of the earliest major Mayan urban center. It was discovered by Nazario Quintana Bello in 1927. Edzna is a Mayan name which means "House of the Visages". This ruins are located 38 miles southeast of Campeche.
At Edzna there are two large group of structures: The "Gran Acropolis" (with a five-story pyramid, over 38 m.) and the "Pequeña Acropolis". Between 1958 and 1962, Edzna had been partially restored by Raul Pavón Abreu. Ray T. Matheny, between 1971-1974, recognized the monumental hydraulic system that had been built to serve Edzna, over 20 km. of canals and reservoirs. Matheny said. "the orientation of the converging canals has some long-forgotten symbolic meaning that may be linked with celestial observation or some cosmological concept".
Edzná as earliest Mayan Astronomical Center
On the two days of the year when the sun is vertically overhead at noon, the stone disk ensures that the entireshaft is in shadow; on all other days, a stripe of sunlight will fall across the shaft. As a result, there can be little doubt that the priests of Edzná had an accurate gauge on the timing of the sun's zenithal passage. VINCENT H. MALMSTRÖM from Dartmouth College.
This and other critical astronomical associations that can be found here make some scholars speculate that Edzna was not only one the earliest true urbanized places of the Maya, but also most likely the birth-place of their modified version of the calendar and the seat of the oldest lunar (Moon) observatory in the Mesoamerican realm. (MALMSTRÖM)
See also
External links
- Edzna
- Campeche – Mexico’s Hidden Treasure The Society for Accessible Travel & Hospitality.