 Temple of the Owl | |
| Location |  Mexico |
|---|---|
| Region | Quintana Roo |
| Type | Ancient Maya city |
| Area | 40 km2 |
| History | |
| Builder | Kaan dynasty |
| Founded | 300 BC |
| Abandoned | c. 1000 AD |
| Periods | Preclassic - Classic - Early Posclassic |
| Cultures | Maya civilization |
| Site notes | |
| Discovered | 1927 |
Dzibanche (/tsʼiɓänˈtʃʰe/) (sometimes spelt Tz'ibanche)[1] is an extense archaeological site of the ancient Maya civilization located in southern Quintana Roo, in the Yucatán Peninsula of southeastern Mexico.[2] Dzibanche was a major Maya city and the early capital and place of origin of the Kaan dynasty, a powerful Maya lineage that conquered and dominated a large territory of the central Maya lowlands during the Mesoamerican Classic period and later ruled from the great city of Calakmul.[3]
The initial settlement of the site dates to the Preclassic period (around 300 BC). During the early Classic period, Dzibanche began a great urban, military and social development that started with the emergence of the Kaan dynasty in the city between 300 and 600 AD, time when it achieved a great regional political power, being the first capital of the Kaan kingdom. Dzibanche features the earliest known use of the Kaan dynasty emblem glyph. The great extension of the site consists of 4 major architectural gropus integrated by numerous monumental structures such as the Temple of the Owl and the Temple of the Cormorants, where the burial chambers and tombs of some early Kaan rulers have been found, as well as the great acropolis of the Kinichná complex, all of them unified by large sacbe roads.[4]
- ^ Martin and Grube 2000, p. 103.
- ^ Martini 2010, p. 377.
- ^ "Dzibanché, la capital de la poderosa dinastía Serpiente". Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia.
- ^ "Zona arqueológica de Dzibanché". Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia.