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.