Uucyabna — Chichén Itzá Before Chichén Itzá

Chichén Itzá is by far the most famous archaeological site in Mesoamerica, attracting over 2 million visitors a year.

But few realize that the name Chichén Itzá itself references a non-Yucatec-Maya ethnic group that only arrived at the city in the 9th century, roughly 1,000 years after the city as we know it was founded.

The name Chichén Itzá roughly translates as “at the mouth of the well of the Itza,” referring to the site’s famous sacred cenote where the rain god Chaac was believed to reside. But if the city existed for a millennium before the Itzá showed up, it must have had a previous name.

Although there is no complete agreement regarding the ancient name, there is a growing consensus around Uucyabna, which translates to “Seven Great Rulers.” This is especially interesting as evidence depicted in murals and stelae suggests that the city’s leadership was not in the hands of a single person but rather a small group of rulers or sages — numbering between seven and twelve, depending on the era.

The earliest period for the city now known as Chichén Itzá dates to the 9th century B.C.E. During this time, large-scale stone structures were unlikely to have been erected, although it’s far from impossible, as other Maya Cities like Mirador and El Tigre had already begun construction on a massive scale.

That said life in Uucyabna, later Chichén Itzá was likely on a much smaller scale as suggested by the uncovering of relatively low-laying artificial platforms atop which homes made out of perishable materials would be constructed.

Perhaps the most difficult thing about figuring out what Uucyabna would have looked like nearly three millennia ago is what archaeologists refer to as recency bias. In this context, recency bias refers to the fact that the further back in time one goes, material remains like stelae, temples, and inscriptions become more and more difficult to unearth.

This is especially true at Uucyabna/Chichén Itzá as the boom in construction experienced by the city in the age of the Itzá was then followed up by a still larger boom when the Toltec from central México made their way to the city.

Indeed, the most famous structures at Chichén Itzá like El Castillo, The Observatory, The Grand Ballcourt, and the Temple of a Thousand Warriors all date back to the time of the Toltec boom, between the 10th and 12th centuries.

For example, the Structure known as el Castillo, also known as the Temple of Kukulcán, underwent its final phase of construction during this later era, leaving a structure that would feel right at home in the Toltec Capital of Tula, except for the Chaac rain god masks.

One of the Oldest sections of Chichén Itzá, known as Chichén Viejo, shows inscriptions on a stone lintel (known as la serie inicial) dating to the year 619 C.E., not quite as ancient as the foundation of Uucyabna but is still fascinating as it is the earliest recorded date found at the site.

 

LiDAR technology is capable of providing archaeologists a glimpse into what lies even below solid stone, which allows for excavation with great precision

In recent years, excavation at the northern end of this pyramid has revealed previous eras of construction, though dating them with precision has proven difficult. But as the entirety of Chichén Itzá’s core sits atop an enormous artificial platform, they likely predate the time of the Itzá, at the very least.

Given the destruction of all but a few Maya manuscripts, it is likely we will never know much about the early days of Uucyabna/Chichén Itzá, but perhaps one of these days we will get lucky!

 

—text and photos by Carlos Rosado van der Gracht