Yucatan archaeological site has been abandoned, residents claim
It's believed the impressive ancient Maya city was at one point part of a trade network with other cities like Chichén Itzá.
Touted in 2018 as a potential tourism magnet, restoration was never finished and only the intrepid visit
Published on Wednesday, July 27, 2022
An archaeological site in northeastern Yucatán that state authorities believed would spur tourism has been forgotten, according to residents of nearby communities.
The Yucatán government announced in early 2018 that the commencement of the final stage of restoration work at Kulubá – an ancient Mayan city set amid jungle in the municipality of Tizimín – was imminent. The site opened to the public later the same year, but more than four years later, not all of the planned work has yet been completed.
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This image of Kulubá was a Photo of the Day on INAH’s website in 2020, but otherwise, it’s not well promoted. Few people know it exists. INAH
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The site opened to the public in 2018, but more than four years later, not all of the planned restoration work has yet been completed and access is difficult. INAH
Adventurous tourists who make it to Kulubá will find plenty to explore. There are some 400 structures at the site, which was once within the sphere of influence of Chichén Itzá, the imposing ancient Mayan city near Valladolid. They include 15-meter-high pyramids and a palace east of the main plaza that was discovered just three years ago.
The palace was likely used by the elite of Kulubá, INAH said in late 2019, adding that relics found in and near the structure suggest that it was occupied between the years 600 and 1050 AD. Some of the other structures are still covered by vegetation, including large trees.
More:
https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/yucatan-archaeological-site-abandoned-residents-claim/
= new reply since forum marked as read
Published 26 December 2019
REUTERS
There are fears the site is too exposed to sun and wind
Archaeologists in Mexico have uncovered the ruins of a large palace they believe dates back to the height of the Mayan civilisation, 1,000 years ago.
Remains of a building six metres (20ft) high, 55m long and 15m wide were found at a dig on the site of the ancient city of Kulubá in Yucatán state. It is thought the structure was used over two periods of Mayan history as far back as AD 600.The Mayan civilisation flourished before Spain conquered the region.
REUTERS
The palace was possibly in use during two periods of Mayan history
National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) said: the Late Classic (600-900 AD) and the Terminal Classic (850-1050 AD).
As well as the former palace, archaeologists are exploring four structures in Kulubá's central square: an altar, remnants of two residential buildings and a round structure thought to be an oven.
In their time, the Mayans ruled large stretches of territory in what is now southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and Honduras.
More:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-50920236
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Another older article, written before they ran out of restoration money:
A ‘new’ ancient ruin is almost ready for tourists at Kulubá
Yucatán Magazine
By
Yucatán Magazine
January 29, 2018
Kulubá will be Yucatán’s 18th archaeological zone. Photo: Sipse
Tizimín, Yucatán — Visitors will have another archaeological site to explore when a “golden triangle” takes shape in September.
State officials and the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) are putting the finishing touches on the ancient Mayan archaeological site, Kulubá. Restoration work at several structures, beginning in 1980, has made much of the site OK for public tours later in 2018.
It will be the state’s 18th archaeological zone, and one that strategically links to Chichén Itzá and Ek Balam.
The state’s investment will also include reforestation work and a 37-kilometer road leading to the site.
Kulubá was located by United States archaeologist E. Wyllys Andrews IV in 1939 and reported to the general public in 1941.
The architecture of Kulubá is similar to the Chichén Itzá and Ek Balam sites, probably influenced by both the Mayan and Toltec civilizations, said archaeologist Alfredo Barrera Rubio.
More:
https://yucatanmagazine.com/a-new-ancient-ruin-is-almost-ready-for-tourists-at-kuluba/
By
Yucatán Magazine
September 27, 2020
A newly discovered structure at the Chaltún Ha archeological site is eight meters high and 100 meters long. Photo: INAH
The National Institute of Anthropology and History so far in 2020 has discovered the ruins of six Mayan pyramids in five of Yucatan’s municipalities.
According to INAH, two structures are in the archaeological zone of Chaltún Ha in Izamal. The larger of the two is eight meters high and 100 meters long.
The second most important find is Kulubá, which is within the municipality of Tizimín in eastern Yucatan. It is 50 meters long and six meters high. The other four are smaller and remain hidden in the jungle.
“The architectural restoration work represented a meticulous exploration and involved a very detailed record of the architectural elements that we are going to identify and return those stones that fell to their original place,” explained José Huchim, an archaeologist at INAH.
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In Yucatan, there are more than 2,000 Mayan zones and 80 pyramids, the most important of which are Kukulcán in Chichen-Itza, The Pyramid of the Magician in Uxmal and Kinich Kakmó in Izamal.
More:
https://yucatanmagazine.com/6-mayan-pyramids-found-this-year-in-yucatan/