Description of the attraction
The ruins of the Mayan city of Shpujil are located near the village of the same name in the Mexican state of Campeche. The name "Shpuhil" is translated from the Mayan language as "Cat's Tail". This is the name of a local plant with small white flowers.
How the Indians themselves called their settlement, from which now only ruins remain, is unknown. It was founded around 400 BC. NS. After several centuries, the city became part of the kingdom, whose capital was Bekan. Shpuhil's "golden age" fell on the period 500-750. n. NS. In 1100, it began to gradually decline, but people still lived here, who left it only after 100 years. Since then, the ruins of the city of Shpuhil stood, forgotten by everyone, waiting for their future explorers. It cannot be said that the locals did not know about them. Just 1 km from the former Mayan city, the modern city of Xpujil was founded.
The Shpuhil archaeological site contains 17 groups of historical sites built in the Rio Beck style. Most of them date back to 600-800 years. For their structures, the Maya used hewn stone blocks of the same size, which were covered with tiles of thin marble on top. Mosaic drawings of small minerals were used as decorations.
The most valuable and interesting, from the point of view of researchers, is the ruler's palace, that is, building number I. Its design differs from the neighboring buildings. The palace with the gallery is decorated with three pyramids, which can be seen in the Tikal settlement in Guatemala. They reach a height of 2 meters. Scientists have discovered 12 halls in the palace. The walls are decorated with stone masks of the deity responsible for the rain. In total, there are 3 portals in the palace. You need to climb the steps to them.
The ruins are accessible to the general public.
