Oxkintok means " Three
Cutting Suns " it is one of the oldest and longest lasting Mayan
city. According to investigations the city was inhabited from the Preclassic periods (300 B.C.-150 A.D.) until the Postclasic period (1250 A.D.- 1500 A.D.),
that totals an amazing 1800 years. The heiroglyphic
inscriptions found contain dates which
are the oldest known in the Yucatan. These dates indicate that the city
had its peak importance between 475 A.D. and 859 A.D.
The most know of the old buildings
of Oxkintok is the Tzat Tum Tzat, which is a construction made of three
levels on top each other not unlike the step pyramids of Egypt. Tzat Tum Tzat was not a tomb but more like an apartment
complex or a storage warehouse. In its interior is found a series of
narrow and long rooms which communicate between each other through small
gates and narrow stairs. Other important edifications at Oxkintok are
the "May group", which consists of 3 structures, and the "Canul
group", which
consist of 4 structures.
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