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Chicanna
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.The Chicanna archaeological site is situated 44 km from Escarcega in the State of Campeche by the Federal Highway 186 in Mexico.
The Maya were never helped by extraterrestial being. What hard work. Not did the Maya disappear. They abandoned some cites in order to found other new ones, and from the 16th c. on the fusion of Maya and Europeans gave rebirth to southeastern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and the western region of Honduras and El Salvador. Today, the Maya live in many rural communities or enriching themselves into the traditional western cites and villages, enriching themselves with their historical and cultural legacy.
Due to its dimensions and the
rich decoration of the buildings it has been considered a small elitist
center of Becan, that is like a residential zone of the rules of the ancient
regional capital. It had important commercial connections with other
settlements as attested to by the presence of non-local materials found at
the site: objects from the highland of Guatemala and region of Honduras.
Most likely, many of these products were concentrated in Bacan and
distributed from there. Evidence of occupation dates from the period known
as the Late Preclassic (300 B.C. to 250 A.D.), while the last stages of
activity at the site have been dated to the Early Postclassic (1100 A.D.)
Chicanna is one of the 45 sites
located in the archeological region known as Rio Bec. This category refers
to the shape and decoration of the buildings, which together constitute the
architectonic style. Consequently, it is common to find the presence of
elongated buildings flanked by slender towers with rounded corners, as well
as the enormous representation of Itzamna principal god of the Maya
pantheon, also known as the Earth Monster, on the facade of the lower
construction.
One of the most important attractions in Chicanna is a Mayan building reconstructed on a platform characteristics are of the Rio Bec Style.
This
structure is found 100 m. to the southwest of the foundations of twelve
rooms. its bad state of preservation is due fundamentally to the deficient
construction technique which existed in the period in which it was built.
The pottery with which it is associated is roughly made. The architectonic
and ceramic information have led specialists to conclude that it is one of
the oldest structures at Chicanna as well as within the entire region
dominated by Becan.
Structure I:
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The Maya created complex societies with
individuals clearly deferenciated by their political, religious and
economic role. They founded cities and villages, constructed great
public works (hydraulic, roadways, agricultural, etc.), developed
excellent artistic works, had their own from of writing and reached and
elevated level of development in mathematics, celendrics and astronomy.
The history of the precolumbian Maya is, divided into several periods
commonly referred to as Preclassic (2000 B.C. - 300 A.D.) Classic
(300-900 A.D.) and Postclassic (900-1500 A.D.), each one with its
respective subdivisions. The construction peak and the major population
density are generally attributed to the Late Classic (600-900 A.D.).
Chicanna was erected at the
base of Yucatan Penisula. Its builders took advantage of a slight natural
elevation the construct several groups of structures which severed as room
and enclosures for carrying out ritual ceremonies. It was discovered in 1966
when it was given its present name, which no doubt refer to the facade of
Structure II: chi, mouth, can, can, serpent, and house; translated this way
it alludes to the "House of the Serpent mouth". 
This
is the highest building at Chicanna. Its layout is almost quadrangular,
composed of two levels and oriented towards the cardinal points. The lower
section has eleven rooms and the upper part four. The principal facade is on
the south side. One can climb upwards from the central room of the first
level by means of a stairway which divides in two under both vaulted
passages. The rooms on the lower level contain benches on whose bases one
can appreciate faces. The facade of the upper temple preserves the remains
of the typical motif of the Chenes region: a complete, gigantic, zoomorphic
mask. In each of the corners, there are columns of masks of the prominant
nose god which guards the mouth of the sacred monster. It is the only
structure which contains two zoomorphic entrances on the east side, with
lengthened jawbones towards the front; a partial third entrance is found on
the north side. In order to add volumn, a roof comb was erected in which
figures of important gods were modelled along with the rulers of the ancient
Maya society. It was built around 850 A.D. and possibly, several rooms were
added on the west side in 1000 A.D. 
The style of the Chenes
shows baroque characteristics in the facade of the buildings. The entrances of these
resemble the mouth of a monster, the principal gate represents a great mouth of the Chac
God with large canine teeth which project over the lintel.
This
imposing building closes the principal plaza of the site on the west
side and is the best example of Rio Bec architecture at Chicanna. The
central part of the single story structure has six rooms arranged in two
rows of three rooms each. As one can see, it is flanked by two solid towers
which remind one of the great pyramidal bases crowned by temples: symbol and
synthesis of the enormous religious and political authority of those who
ruled the ancient Maya society. The sides of the towers preserve decorated
panels with crosses formed by inset square stone blocks, motifs which evoke
the ancient relevance to the cardinal points. One can barely distinguish on
the facade of the center room the remains of the decoration which was
achieved with panels of stylized profile masks.
Structure II:
This building closes the principal plaza to the east, the
most important cardinal point in the Maya vision of the universe, as it
alludes to the place where the sun, which was very much worshipped in
ancient times, is reborn daily. It is built upon a small artificially
leveled area and has only one story. Inside there are remains of eight
rooms: three to the front and five on the back side, all roofed over with
the Maya arch. The rooms have benches for resting and spending the night.
This building was the houses of an official of the hierarchy. Probably the
center room was used for ritual ceremonies. The remains of a roof comb were
found on the upper center part. This gave grandeur to the building as they
modeled images of important personages as well as some gods there. The
decoration of the facade is one of the most complete and best preserved
representations of itzamna. It resembles a great face with and open mouth;
the entrance doorway constitutes entrance into the buccal cavity and
symbolically, indicates the introduction to the entrails of the powerful
god. On the facade of the rooms located to the sides, one can appreciate
Maya home: houses with roofs and walls made of palm and wood.
yramidal
base on the west side.
It was modified from 450 to 550 A.D. By the end of the Classic period, this
area of Chicanna was no longer restricted to the celebration of
ceremonial events,
but its use was amplified
to include housing. The two rooms which look out to this plaza were built
around 950 A.D. The entrance step to each to them was shaped like an
amphibian. Later on, seven other rooms were erected behind and to the sides
of these rooms, thereby forming two asymmetric courtyards. Some of the rooms
were covered with the typical Maya vault and others were thatched with
perishable materials such as wood and the huano palm. 
lished
by constructing a perforated wall or roof comb on its upper part, as a type
of finishing. Several stucco modelled figures, both mythological and
symbolic beings, decorated this finish. Today, one can only see the stone
supports which sustained it. The findings from the exploration, such as a
nose, fangs and other parts, revealed that additionally the frieze contained
a partial zoomorphic facade, that is, a figure without a jawbone. To both
sides of the main entrance, one can still appreciate parts of two panels of
stylized profile masks, Later on, the smaller rooms on the west side were
incorporated which provided wide interior phase, of lesser quality, occurred
in the middle of the tenth century A.D. when the two rooms on the east side
were added.
