Kabah (Maya site)

Kabah (also spelled Kabaah, Kabáh, Kahbah and Kaba) is a Maya archaeological site in the Puuc region of western Yucatan, south of Mérida.

Kabah is south of Uxmal, connected to that site by an 18 kilometres (11 miles) long raised causeway 5 metres (16 feet) wide with monumental arches at each end.

Ruins extend for a considerable distance on both sides of the highway; many of the more distant structures are little visited, and some are still overgrown with forest.

As of 2003[update], a program was ongoing to clear and restore more buildings, as well as archeological excavations under the direction of archeologist Ramón Carrasco.

[1] The name Kabah or Kabaah was first suggested by Estanislao Carrillo in 1846 and is usually taken to be archaic Maya language for "strong hand".

J. E. S. Thompson used a sculpted doorjamb from Structure 2C6 to suggest the date of the ruin to be 879 CE, probably around the city's apex.

[2] Another inscribed date found at the site is one of the latest carved in the Maya Classic style, in 987 CE.

[1] This massive repetition of a single set of elements is unusual in Maya art, and here is used to unique effect.

[1] The emphasis placed on Chaac, the Protector of the Harvest, both here and at other neighboring Puuc sites, stemmed from the scarcity of water in the region.

[2] The miscellaneous sculptures include M1 through M7 which are various pieces of what were once statues that seem to depict people, possibly deities or rulers.

Kabah, Codz Poop palace, side view
Palace of the Masks detail. 2002 photo
Map of the Kabah Maya archeological zone
Building 1A2
The "Palace", building 2C2
Building 1C1