Labna (or Labná in Spanish orthography) is a

Mesoamerica Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area that begins in the southern part of North America and extends to the Pacific coast of Central America, thus comprising the lands of central and southern Mexico, all of Belize, Guatemala, El S ...

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or recorded history, historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline ...

and ceremonial center of the

pre-Columbian In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era, also known as the pre-contact era, or as the pre-Cabraline era specifically in Brazil, spans from the initial peopling of the Americas in the Upper Paleolithic to the onset of European col ...

Maya civilization The Maya civilization () was a Mesoamerican civilization that existed from antiquity to the early modern period. It is known by its ancient temples and glyphs (script). The Maya script is the most sophisticated and highly developed writin ...

, located in the

Puuc Puuc is the name of a region in the Mexican state of Yucatán (state), Yucatán and a Maya architecture, Maya architectural style prevalent in that region. The word ''puuc'' is derived from the Maya term for "hill". Since the Yucatán is rel ...

Hills region of the

Yucatán Peninsula The Yucatán Peninsula ( , ; ) is a large peninsula in southeast Mexico and adjacent portions of Belize and Guatemala. The peninsula extends towards the northeast, separating the Gulf of Mexico to the north and west of the peninsula from the C ...

. It is situated to the south of the large Maya site of

Uxmal Uxmal (Yucatec Maya: ''Óoxmáal'' ) is an ancient Maya civilization, Maya city of the classical period located in present-day Mexico. It is considered one of the most important archaeological sites of Maya culture, along with Palenque, Chichen ...

, in the southwest of the present-day state of

Yucatán Yucatán, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Yucatán, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, constitute the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises 106 separate municipalities, and its capital city is Mérida. ...

, Mexico. Labna,

Sayil Sayil was a pre-Columbian city built by the Maya people of the Terminal Classic period. It is located in the Mexican state of Yucatán, in the southwest of the state, south of Uxmal. Sayil, Kabah and Labna were incorporated together with U ...

and Kabah were incorporated with

as a

UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

in 1996.

History

The city existed from 200 to 1000 AD. It reached its peak in the period from 800 to 1000 AD. It undoubtedly had a complex social organization and shares style and decorative elements with other cities in the region (

, Kabah). It is estimated that about 3,000 inhabitants lived in Labna. The first written report of Labna was by

John Lloyd Stephens John Lloyd Stephens (November 28, 1805October 13, 1852) was an American explorer, writer, and diplomat. He was a pivotal figure in the rediscovery of Maya civilization throughout Middle America (Americas), Middle America and in the planning of th ...

who visited it with artist

Frederick Catherwood Frederick Catherwood (27 February 1799 – 27 September 1854) was an English artist, architect and explorer, best remembered for his meticulously detailed drawings of the ruins of the Maya civilization. He explored Mesoamerica in the mid 19th ...

in 1842. Thanks to this, drawings illustrating the state of the ruins from that period have also been preserved.

Archeological Zone

The site is a comparatively small and compact one. Among its notable structures is a large two-storey 'palace' (''"El Palacio"''), which is one of the longest contiguous structures in the

region at approximately 120 m (393.7 ft) in length. From the palace, a ceremonial road (''

sacbe A sacbe, plural sacbeob (Yucatec Maya: singular ''sakbej'', plural ''sakbejo'ob''), or "white road", is a raised paved road built by the Maya civilization of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. Most connect temples, plazas, and groups of structures withi ...

'') extends to an elaborately decorated gateway arch (''"El Arco"''). This structure is 3 m (9.8 ft) wide and 6 m high, with well-reserved

bas-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

s. The arch is not an entrance to the city, but rather is a passageway between public areas.Labná :: The Mayan Kingdom
/ref> Next to this gateway stands ''"El Mirador"'', a pyramid-like structure surmounted by a temple. A part of the same site is the Temple of the Columns. The structural design and motifs of the site's buildings are in the

Maya architecture The Mayan architecture of the Maya civilization spans across several thousands of years, several eras of political change, and architectural innovation before the Spanish colonization of the Americas. Often, the buildings most dramatic and easily ...

regional style known as ''

''. This makes extensive use of well-cut stone forming patterns and depictions, including masks of the long-nosed rain-god

Chaac Chaac (also spelled Chac or, in Classic Maya language, Classic Mayan, Chaahk ) is the name of the Maya civilization, Maya god of rain, thunder, and lightning. With his lightning axe, Chaac strikes the clouds, causing them to produce thunder and r ...

. The site was built in the Late and Terminal Classic era. A date corresponding to AD 862 is inscribed in the palace. The site is open to visitors.

References

As the relations between India and Mexico are warming up, India has recently unveiled a replica of the Arch at Garden of Five Senses, New Delhi as a goodwill gesture.

Gallery

File:Frieze on The Arch (22006024862).jpg, Detail on the Arch of Labna File:2002.12.29 01 Labná Yucatán México.jpg, The Palace of Labna File:2002.12.29 07 Labná Yucatán México.jpg File:Labna-04-Palast-1980-gje.jpg File:Labna 01.JPG, Detail on the Palace of Labna –

mask File:Labna Palace- Human Materializing from Vision Serpent - 9790326086.jpg, Detail on the Palace of Labna – Vision Serpent File:Labná 20.JPG, El Mirador temple File:Labna-16-Pyramide-Palisaden-1980-gje.jpg

References

External links

Labna-Kiuic Regional Archaeological ProjectLabná web site at Reed College
Over 300 19th–21st century photographs of Labná. . {{Authority control Maya sites in Yucatán Maya Classic Period Tourist attractions in Yucatán