MexicGo Archaeological site in Tabasco, Mexico by Location: Comalcalco

The Classic-period site of Comalcalco, 58km north of Villahermosa, is an easy, very worthwhile trip from the city. The westernmost Maya site, Comalcalco was occupied around the same time as Palenque (250–900 AD), with which it shares some features, and it may have been ruled by some of the same kings. The area’s lack of building stone forced the Chontal Maya to adopt a distinctive form of construction: kiln-fired brick. As if the bricks themselves were not sufficient to mark this site as different, the builders added mystery to technology: each brick was stamped or moulded with a geometric or representational design before firing, with the design deliberately placed facing inwards, so that it could not be seen in the finished building.

Comalcalco name in Nahuatl language means "The house of the comal," according to historical sources, 1564, the General Archive of the Indies. Its original name was Joy Chan cholano language, meaning "rolled Heaven", according to epigraphic studies on the site.

Cultural importance: is perhaps the westernmost site of the Maya area. It was of great importance during the Classic period, as part of the trade routes in southern Mesoamerica. This interpretation is based on the finding of foreign elements in the site, such as Veracruz yokes and axes, lithic materials of Veracruz, Hidalgo and Guatemala and iconography of the central highlands. The site core is composed of the East Acropolis, the Great Acropolis, the North Plaza and the West Group. These are different types of buildings, squares and courtyards, that show adequate planning.

On the outskirts they are located about 500 platforms mounds of low-rise housing on which desplantaban associated with multiple fields and waterways. Site boom took place between 200 a. C. and 950 d. C., information derived from ceramic materials and epigraphic data. Architecture highlighted in the us three building systems, the first and oldest of compacted soil with stucco siding, the second with bodies covered with compacted earth brick and masonry last brick, all of which belong to the Late Classic . It is distinguished by being an important site producer of fine pasta bowls and figurines, which were exchanged at long range. He had a glyph own emblem.

You can see the astonishing designs on the bricks in Comalcalco’s marvelous museum. Animals depicted include crocodiles, turtles, frogs, lizards, dogs and mice, while those portraying the sculpted faces of rulers display an advanced level of artistic development. One of the most amazing figures is of a skeleton that appears to be leaping out at you from the surface of the brick. The abundant clay that provided such a versatile medium for architects and artists here also formed the basis for many more mundane artefacts. Some of the largest jars were used as funerary urns and several are on display here, including one with an intact skeleton.

Though there are dozens of buildings at Comalcalco, only around ten or so of the larger ones have been restored. Because the brickwork is so fragile, you’re not allowed to enter or climb on many of them, but you can follow a path up to Structure 3 and around the Palacio. Entering the site, you first come to Temple I, the main structure of the North Plaza Cluster, a tiered pyramid with a massive central stairway. Originally, the whole building (like all of the structures here) would have been covered with stucco made from oyster shells, sculpted into masks and reliefs of rulers and deities, and brightly painted.

Only a few of these features remain the exposed ones protected from further erosion by shelters, while others have been deliberately left buried. Facing Temple I at the opposite end of the site is the Gran Acrópolis, a complex of buildings, some still being excavated, raised above the plaza. Here you can climb up to El Palacio for some excellent close-up views of the brickwork, including a series of massive brick piers and arches that once formed an enormous double corbelled vault, 80m long and over 8m wide one of the largest enclosed spaces the Maya ever built. There’s a fine stucco mask of Kinich Ahau, the Maya sun god, on Templo VI, and at the side of Temple V a small, corbel-arched room contains stucco reliefs of nine, richly dressed, half-life-size figures apparently in conversation or even argument they may represent the Lords of Xibalba, the Maya underworld.

You arrive at the archaeological site on Federal Highway No. 187. A 2 km from the city of Comalcalco, following the road to Paradise. The entrance is located 900 meters from the highway, by a paved side street. To reach the site by public transport, can be addressed taxis that move to the site, they start from the center of the city of Comalcalco.

Most buses from Villahermosa take an hour and a quarter; you’ll likely be dropped off at or near the ADO terminal on the main highway (Comalcalco is west of the road). Green combis, found outside the ADO terminal, ply the route to the ruins, and any second-class bus heading north will pass by, but you’ll have to walk about 1km to the site entrance. Ask the driver for “ruinas”, or get off after about five minutes, when you see the sign. The ruins are on the right along a long straight paved road; some combis go all the way there, but otherwise it’s a fifteen-minute walk. Taxis are available. There’s a small restaurant and toilets at the site, and plenty of buses back to Villahermosa (look for TRT buses, which take the fast route via Cárdenas, every 45 minutes, or Allegro and Comalli buses, which go via Cupilco) or on to Paraíso (20min), running along the highway.

Comalcalco, Mexico