“They discover a structure with unknown architecture in Uxmal” review published by the newspaper El Financiero in 2014. This headline gave way to one of the most important discoveries of the moment: The Puuc Code; Great Mayan Secret.
This article reported that Yucatecan archaeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and Historydiscovered in Uxmal, a structure buried under the Governor’s Palace, which would reveal an architecture that was not known in this Mayan citya new history and a higher antiquity than was believed about the origin of the emblematic archaeological zone.
On the other hand, José Huchim Herrera who is a Yucatecan Mayan archaeologist and architect, currently the Director of the Uxmal Archaeological Site and at the time was the coordinator of the Uxmal rescue work. He explained that during the excavations in the consolidation of said building, a cove was opened and they came across an arch of the Early Puuc style, that is, around 200 years older than the known architecture of that pre-Hispanic city. This new finding indicates that Uxmal had an earlier occupation than documented, with unknown architecture, revealing a new history and older constructions at this site.
Some researchers consider the Puuc period as a new stage in the architectural evolution of the Mayans. The word Puuc means, in the Yucatec Maya language, «mountain range» or «mountain range of low hills» and it is a type of architecture developed by this civilization between the years 1,000 and 500 before Christ, it could be said that it was a type of construction to house the ruling elites of the time. However, for the researchers the Puuc code is more than an architectural style. Well, they indicate that the code reveals that from the ruling elite a city was achieved.
This form of construction and ornamentation of ceremonial buildings was characterized by the use of masks on the facades, frets and panels with hieroglyphs. The distribution of each building, each room, each set, integrated a code that describes the life of the ruling elite.
The Puuc region in the Yucatan Peninsula, southern Mexico It is recognized as one of the most beautiful areas of the Mayan world. The main archaeological site is Uxmal, a place that is surrounded by seven other sites: Kabah, Sayil, Xlapac, Labná, Chacmultún, Loltún, and Oxkintok.. All of them are ancient cities declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.which share the Puuc Mayan architecture. In ancient times, these cities were connected to highways called “sac be’o’ob” in Yucatec Maya. A good example of this style can be found in the exhibition «Puuc Code: architecture and symbolism» of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), which takes place in the city of Mérida.
It is estimated that 25,000 people lived in the city of Uxmal alone, being one of the largest cities in the region. Today, their descendants live and work in this culturally rich agricultural region.