Wrong turns can be a real pain in the, well, the neck. Even more so when you're deep in the Yucatan jungle! If you can get a signal, the GPS shows your location on a satellite map, but rarely shows how you got there.
This happened to me just recently. I was driving from Mérida towards Campeche in the Yucatan province of Mexico to find the Grutas de Aktun Usil. (coming soon) The rough hand-drawn map I had showed me the dirt roads I needed to get to, but I still managed to get lost. One of those wrong turns that can ruin your day!
Idling along the dirt road, the dense foliage rubbing alongside my car, I continued on my journey of getting lost. All of a sudden, a blue sign appeared, buried in the trees. Maya pyramid icon and "300 m" stenciled beside it! What a stroke of luck! Surely someone there could help me.
I entered a clearing and was met immediately by an arched entryway similar to the one I saw at Ek Balam.
A portico of orange hued stones offering access to the ancient Maya city of Ox-kin-tok. The complex was protected by a wire fence, and a heavy gate locked tightly. I wandered along the fence, trying to find another access, when, as though summoned by the Maya gods, the curator rode up and opened the gate.
With his broken English and my stuttered Spanish I learnt the city was closed for the summer. He explained he would be there for a short time and that I was welcome to look around. So, for an hour, with the entire city all to myself, I followed the stone pathways, wandered along crumbling walls, and explored the ancient edifices of this once magnificent city.
Having been warned not to climb the structures, I contented myself with admiring the architecture. I marvelled at the skill with which these stones were formed and placed, almost two thousand years before. At every turn I conjured up visions of Maya warriors, living among their people and practising their customs and rituals. I stumbled into the ball court, where I smiled at the memory of the Story of iXbalanque.
Information plaques and signage are situated throughout the city, offering information and history of each building. Most of the structures date from the Classic Period between 200-900 A.D. The site core consists of four main complexes. There are numerous pyramids, palaces, temples, courtyards, and at least two entry arches. Numerous tombs have been unearthed containing beautiful objects commemorating the dead.
Ox-kin-tok is the third oldest Maya city in the Yucatan, having been completed in the year 750 A.D. Some remnants of ceramic shards have been identified that go back to 100 B.C. and perhaps even earlier. The earliest visible date reference is from 475 A.D. It reached its prominence during the Middle to Late Classic Period (650-900 A.D.). and was abandoned by the end of the Late Terminal Classic (1200-1450 A.D.).
My favourite discovery was the Palacio de Diablo. This building was named The Devil's Building as it's facade featured a column with a representation of a skeleton with two openings in the head. This building was added during the terminal Classic era between 750-1050 A.D.
Access to this ancient Maya city can be difficult. Traversing the dirt roads, often no more than a cart path, limits the number of visitors. There is continued exploration and expansion of the site, and perhaps new findings and discoveries will result in paved roads and visible signage along the way.
Although I came to find Ox-kin-tok through a wrong turn and a stroke of luck, I like to think it was the Maya gods directing me, to tell their story, to bring more visitors to discover it's beauty.
Either way, I encourage you to create your own story of the magic and majesty of the Maya culture.
To find out more, email me at
Links
More Information:
https://www.themayanruinswebsite.com/oxkintok.html
Pictures and Video:
https://insearchofmayangold.com/ox-kin-tok
More People, Places, and Things
https://insearchofmayangold.com