Xultun facts for kids
Xultún is a huge ancient Maya city. It's an archaeological site located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of Tikal in northern Guatemala. Xultún is also about 8 kilometers (5 miles) south of another smaller ancient site called San Bartolo.
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Exploring Xultún: An Ancient Maya City
Xultún was once home to many people. The city has a giant pyramid that stands 35 meters (115 feet) tall. There are also two ballcourts where the Maya played a special game. You can find 24 stelae here, which are tall carved stone monuments. The last one, Stele 10, was made in 889 AD. The city also has several open areas called plazas and five large water reservoirs known as aguadas.
Even though it's one of the biggest Classic Maya sites known, much of Xultún has not yet been fully explored by archaeologists. In the 1970s, only parts of it were mapped.
Since 2001, a team called the San Bartolo-Xultun Regional Archaeological Project (PRASBX) has been studying Xultún and nearby San Bartolo. As of 2022, Dr. Heather Hurst and Boris Beltrán lead this exciting project.
Amazing Discoveries at Xultún
Since 2008, archaeologists digging at Xultún have found some truly unique things.
The Room of the Star Gazers
One amazing find is a room from the Late Classic period (around 600-900 AD) with colorful paintings on three of its walls.
- On the west wall, there are three dark figures sitting down. They wear tall, pointed hats, which show they were important religious leaders.
- The north wall shows an official kneeling and offering a writing tool to a seated king named Yax We'nel Chan K'inich.
- On the northeast and east walls, there are three more figures along with special Maya calendar notes. These notes are mostly about how the moon moves and how it was used to predict things, a practice called lunar astrology. Many of these notes are similar to calculations found in the Dresden Codex, an ancient Maya book.
The Temple of the Royal Jaguar
Another important discovery is a building complex called 'Los Árboles' (The Trees), which dates back to the Early Classic period (around 250-600 AD). The front of this building is decorated with detailed stucco images. Stucco is a type of plaster used for decoration. These images are all about the royal cult of the jaguar, which was a very important animal to the Maya. You can also see jaguar images on some of the carved stelae at the site.
The Sweatbath of the Toad Goddess
In 2012, archaeologists found an Early Classic sweatbath, which is like an ancient sauna. It was nicknamed 'Los Sapos' (The Toads) and was part of a living area. Around a small doorway on its north side, they uncovered a stucco decoration. It showed a crouching female figure with hands and feet that looked like an amphibian or reptile. There were also amphibians, possibly toads, inside her arms and legs. The head of this figure was missing, so we don't know exactly what she looked like. However, some think she might represent Ix Chel, an ancient Maya goddess known as a midwife.
Xultún's History
The full history of Xultún's powerful kingdom is still being uncovered. Xultún had its own special symbol, called an emblem glyph, which showed its importance. However, many of the carved stelae at the site are worn away, making it hard to read their inscriptions. We learn some of Xultún's history from records of other Maya kingdoms it interacted with, like Caracol, Tikal, and Naranjo.
By studying the archaeology of the wider Xultún and San Bartolo area, we are getting a better picture of this ancient kingdom. Xultún was very important during the Classic period, known as a center for skilled painting "schools."
See also
In Spanish: Xultún para niños
