Oxkintok
Oxkintok Archaeological Zone · Oxkintok Puuc Labyrinth
Classic (Early–Terminal)·Maya (Puuc–Oxkintok Regional)·🇲🇽 Yucatán, Maxcanú, Mexico
About
About Oxkintok
Early Puuc–Classic Maya acropolis (c.250–1000 CE) at the northwestern Yucatán col between Puuc hills and flat plains, with three-tiered Ah Muzul pyramid-satellite groups, Labyrinth (Sástun Sat) three-storey corbel-vault palace with interior maze, and Telescoped astronomical alignments to solar zenith. Excavated by Miguel Rivera Dorado (Misión Arqueológica de España) 1986–1991; produced 4 construction phases Olympiad stelae, Puuc mosaic masks, and Oxkintok Regional ceramic complex type-site. Spanish mission 2000+ vaulted structures.
Why it mattersType-site for Oxkintok Regional ceramics; earliest Puuc vaulting (Sástun Sat labyrinth) and telescoped solar architecture.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Labyrinth 3-storey interior maze purpose — initiatic vs residential
- 02Astronomical window alignment precision for zenith passage
Theories
- 01Oxkintok labyrinth as dynastic initiatory maze encoding Puuc cosmological transition
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.250–1000 CE
- Period
- Classic (Early–Terminal)
- Culture
- Maya (Puuc–Oxkintok Regional)
- Builders
- Maya (Oxkintok lineage)
- Purpose
- Puuc frontier acropolis, astronomical observatory and vaulted palace maze ritual
- Abandoned
- c.1000 CE
- Rediscovered
- Stephens & Catherwood 1841; Rivera Dorado 1986
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
On the ground
Structures & features
20.5624° N · 89.9535° W · 28 m · 2 mapped features
Sástun Sat (Labyrinth)
structureThree-storey maze-palace with corbel vaults and interior labyrinth greatest Puuc vaulting
20.5625° N · 89.9535° WAh Muzul Group pyramid
pyramid12 m stepped pyramid on south acropolis with Puuc mosaic masks
20.5620° N · 89.9538° W
Gallery