Oxkintok — Puuc Labyrinth Pyramid
Oxkintok · Oxkintoc
Late Preclassic to Early Postclassic (300 BCE–1200 CE)·Maya — Oxkintok sphere, Puuc·🇲🇽 Yucatán, Puuc Hills northwest, Municipality of Maxcanú, Mexico
About
About Oxkintok — Puuc Labyrinth Pyramid
Northwestern-most major Puuc site near Maxcanú, 6 km southeast of town, conspicuous for Satunsat labyrinth — vaulted maze with 3 floors and astronomical ducts linking to equinox sun, and triadic Canul pyramid with long hieroglyphic lintel (Long Count 475 CE earliest Puuc date). 64 hieroglyphic miscarriages show dynastic rivalry with Nohpat and Kabah. Putun-style Chenes influence appears after 800 CE. INAH access road and shelter over Ah-Canul group.
Why it mattersEarliest dated inscription in northwest Yucatán; labyrinth astronomy proof.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Labyrinth orientation function — solar zenith vs calendric
Theories
- 01Satunsat acted as initiation maze for priesthood solstice rites
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 400–830 CE florescence
- Period
- Late Preclassic to Early Postclassic (300 BCE–1200 CE)
- Culture
- Maya — Oxkintok sphere, Puuc
- Builders
- Maya
- Purpose
- Northwest Yucatán power centre with triadic pyramid, labyrinth (sacbé, tzat tun tzat) and Puuc architecture, astronomical alignment
- Excavation
- Excavated
1841
John Lloyd Stephens visits Oxkintok
1985
Miguel Rivera Dorado excavates Satunsat
On the ground
Structures & features
20.5603° N · 89.9539° W · 20 m · 2 mapped features
Ah-Canul triadic pyramid
pyramidTriadic pyramid with central temple and hieroglyphic lintel stairway
20.5608° N · 89.9534° WSatunsat labyrinth group
labyrinthThree-storey vaulted labyrinth with light ducts and narrow corridors
20.5598° N · 89.9544° W
Gallery