Get to know Edzná

The hydraulic technology used by the Mayans to manage the floodplains where the prehispanic city of Edzná settled was so efficient that the place was inhabited for at least 1500 years (from 400 B.C. to 1100 A.D.).

 

A system of canals allowed them to drain the land in rainy seasons and led the water to a lagoon that, through retaining walls, was transformed into a dam, while another system of canals was used to irrigate the fields.

 

The canals also provided fish and functioned as communication channels. Simultaneously, they built a large number of religious and administrative buildings, which also had an amazing drainage system.

 

With the food problem solved, the Mayan city of Edzná grew rapidly to become one of the capital cities of the Mayan world during the classical period. Thus, in its heyday, it is estimated that it had 25 thousand inhabitants.

 

Located 55 kilometers (34 miles) to the east of the city of Campeche, the name of the archaeological site is usually translated as Casa de los Itzaes (House of Itzaes), where Itzá is a Mayan patronymic that was applied to ethnic groups such as the Putunes and the Chontales who inhabited the Yucatán Peninsula.

 

The total area of ​​the archaeological site is estimated to be 25 square kilometers (15 square miles) and to this day about 200 structures have been found, of which a dozen claim the attention of tourists.

 

The Pirámide de los Cinco Pisos (Five Floor Pyramid) is the site's most iconic building and is located within the Great Acropolis which is one of the three must-sees for anyone visiting the site, along with the structure known as Nohochná and the masks of the god Kinich Ahau.