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Tuesday, September 18, 2007

The Nunnary and Chichanchob

The Nunnary and
Chichanchob

Front view of the Nunnary Puuc Architectural Style
built 800-900 A.D



Located in the southern part of Chichén Itzá, both the Nunnary and the Chichanchob offer additional examples of the original Puuc architectural style.

The Nunnary (top right image) is the largest building in a complex of structures in the southern part of Chichén Itzá. It stands over seventeen meters in height. Various stairways lead to two upper temples, decorated in the Puuc style, which are built on top of each other on an enormous base.

Side view of the Chichanchob Puuc
Architectural Style built 800-900 A.D.

When the early Spanish explorers visited the ruins, they thought the temple's numerous chambers had been used as cells for Maya nuns and called the structure Las Monjas (House of the Nuns). However, researchers believe that this building was more likely used for civil ceremonies than as a Mayan nunnary.

The second building called Chichanchob (pictured on the right) means "little holes". The name was given to the structure because of the small holes on the crest of the roof. The building was also known as the "Red House" because of the red paint which can still be seen in frescos in the inside chamber.

                                     
                                                                                                                                                                         The numerous masks of Chaac, the
                                                                                                                                              rain god, on the stone frieze are typical of the Puuc architectural  
                                                                                                                                                                                 style found in the old city.
Illustration of how the Chichanchob
may have looked in its original state

The crested roof is an architectural element from the region of the Chenes (now Campeche). It created a special effect which builders used to make temples appear larger than they actually were. The numerous masks of Chaac, the rain god, and the other decorations on the stone frieze are typical of the Puuc architectural style which originated in the Puuc hills region of the Yucatán to the south of Chichén Itzá. When the Itzá occupied the city centuries after the Chichanchob was constructed, they built a small ball court on the platform of the structure.

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