Chacchoben facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Chacchoben
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Maya Site
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 Chacchoben
Location in Mexico
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| Country | Mexico |
| State | Quintana Roo |
| Constructed | 700 |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (Central Daylight Time) |
Chacchoben (say it: chak-CHO-ben) is an ancient Maya city. Its name means "the place of red corn" in the Maya language. It's located in Mexico, about 110 miles (177 km) south of Tulum. This amazing ruin is a popular spot for tourists visiting the southern part of Quintana Roo.
Contents
Discovering Chacchoben's Past
Early Maya Settlement
People first settled at Chacchoben around 200 BC. The large temples and platforms you see today were built much later, around 700 AD. This shows that the site was important for a very long time.
How Modern Explorers Found It
In the 1940s, a family named Cohuo started a farm near the ancient city. An archaeologist named Loring Hewen visited the site in 1962. He wrote about it in a letter, noting that the main pyramid was still used for religious ceremonies.
The ruins were officially reported to the Mexican government in June 1972. This happened thanks to Dr. Peter Harrison, an American archaeologist. He was working on a project for The Royal Ontario Museum. Dr. Harrison discovered the site while flying a helicopter over Mexico. He noticed many unusual hills in an otherwise flat area. He realized these "hills" were actually ancient temples that had been covered by nature over 2000 years. He also made the first maps of Chacchoben.
Bringing Chacchoben Back to Life
Restoring the Ancient City
In 1994, the Mexican National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) began working at Chacchoben. They carefully dug up and restored parts of the site. This work took many years. The site was closed to visitors until 2002. Today, one temple is still covered by plants, as it was too difficult to restore.
Visiting Chacchoben Today
What You Can Explore
When you visit Chacchoben, you walk along a circular path. This path takes you past three pyramids that have been dug up and restored. You'll also see many ancient walls and staircases. Archaeologists are still working on other mounds. They know these mounds contain more hidden buildings.
Some structures still have traces of the red paint that covered them long ago. INAH has put up shaded areas to protect this ancient paint from the sun. At the base of the largest pyramid, you can see a big stone slab called a stela. It has ancient Maya writing, called hieroglyphs, carved into it.
Wildlife Around the Ruins
The jungle around Chacchoben is full of amazing animals. You might see deer, peccary (a type of wild pig), armadillo, and gray fox. There are also different kinds of monkeys, like spider monkeys and howler monkeys. Deeper in the jungle, you might find larger animals. These include jaguars, ocelots, pumas, and tapirs.
Image gallery
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Mayan Temple in Chacchoben, February 2022
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Temple Pyramid at Chacchoben, August, 2007
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View of the ruins at Chacchoben from the air
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Temple Pyramid at Chacchoben from tourist pathway
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Chacchoben Maya Ruins
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Ruins in jungles, Chacchoben
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Sign and Temple Pyramid
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Along the path between the larger temples there is a small grouping of stone footings and stairs from some of the homes built on this site.
See also
In Spanish: Chacchobén para niños
