part of the profusely decorated Palace of the Masks at the Mayan site Kabah
Kabah is the second largest Mayan site along the Ruta Puuc in western Yucatan, after Uxmal. Like Uxmal, the architecture here also dates from the Late Classical period, 600-900 AD.
the plan of the Kabah site, with the most important buildings in the eastern part
The most impressive structure is the Codz Pop, or Palace of the Masks, a 55 meter long building of which the façade has been decorated with some 260 masks of Chaac, the rain god and one of the dominating religious characters at the time. There are several chambers inside, and a temple like structure on the top. At the back of the Palace are two more-than-life size sculptures, most likely a later addition with hallmarks of Tolmec culture.
the Kabah site, with to the right the Codz Pop, and to the left the main Palace
the facade of the Codz Pop building, also called Palace of the Masks
hieroglyphs decorate an altar in front of the Codz Pop, the Palace of the Masks
and these are some of the masks, all the same, of the god Chaac
and even the door steps to individual rooms have a mask
here is much more detail
the temple-like structure is in fact an open roof comb, adding height to the building
the back of the Codz Pop – poor light, I am sorry – with the two large sculptures
one of the two large sculptures at the back of the Codz Pop
Next, and a little to the back of the Codz Pop, is a building complex, of which the Palace is the most important, flanked by the building Teocali on one side and the House of the Royal Insignia on the other. The perfectly symmetrical, two-storey Palace, with sixteen rooms on each floor, shows similarities to the Palace in nearby Sayil and the one on Labna.
the Teocali, one of the buildings flanking the main Palace
and a small room inside the Teocala
the main Palace, symetrical, two-storey, also adorned with a open roof comb
close-up of the main Palace facade
part of the House of the Royal Insignia, on the side of the courtyard in front of the Palace
another view of the Palace, from a distance – when the sun finally started shining
the largely restored Arch, the original access point to the city
On the other side of the main road is the Arch, originally providing access to the site. Therre are also further buildings, like a pyramid, for which we unfortunately had no time left to explore. A good, more detailed description of the site, including old photographs is on https://www.themayanruinswebsite.com/kabah.html.
My pictures hereunder are just some examples of what one can expect, with mostly less than favourable light.
