Edzná Part 6 of 8: Nohoch Ná & the Circular Temple

Nohoch Ná is a massive structure that occupies the entire west side of Edzná's Main Plaza. You are looking south along the eastern side of the structure. Nohoch Ná means "Big House", but its official archeological designation is Structure 424. The eastern side of Structure 424 has fifteen extraordinarily long and massive steps. At first glance, these steps make Nohoch Ná look a lot like stadium seats at a football field. In fact, one of its functions may have been to provide mass seating for large public ceremonies staged in the Main Plaza.

In this posting, I will focus on the ceremonial monuments of the western part of the Main Plaza. These include Nohoch Ná and several other temples and pyramids known only by their archeological numbers. In addition, we will look at a small but fascinating temple for which I could find no name or archeological number. Unless otherwise indicated by a link, all the information provided with my photos comes from informational signs at the site or from Edzná, A Pre-hispanic City in Campeche, by the Mexican archeologist Antonio Benavides Castillo.


Overview:

Satellite view of the western side of the Main Plaza. North is toward the top of the photo. The long narrow structure running north to south is Nohoch Ná. To its right is the broad open space of the Main Plaza. At the north end of Nohoch Ná, just to the west, is a small circular temple known as Structure 425. Further to the west of Nohoch Ná is Structure 501, a large pyramid partially buried in jungle. Two other temples to the west of Nohoch Ná  are not visible in this photo because of the jungle canopy.

In the lower right, you can see the South Pyramid and the Ball Court, which we examined in my last posting. Running diagonally across the upper right is a sacbe (processional street) that connects the Great Acropolis (Edzná Parts 2 & 3) with the north end of Nohoch Ná and other ceremonial areas further west.

Notice the short passageway on top of Nohoch Ná that runs east-to-west at the mid-point. There is a direct line-of-sight from Pyramid 501's temple, through this passageway, to the top of the main staircase of the Great Acropolis (out of sight to the east). From there, the line extends to the top of the Pyramid of the Five Levels. Archeologists believe these three structures may have been deliberately aligned for astronomical purposes. One of these purposes might have been the observation of the sun rising over the Pyramid of the Five Levels. Another possibility relates to the quarterly appearances of the equinoxes and solstices.


Nohoch Ná

View of the west side of Nohoch Ná, looking north. There are various sets of staircases on this side, but they are not aligned like the "stadium seats" of the eastern side. Structure 424 is 135m (443ft) long. Its width is 31m (102ft) and it stands 9m (30ft) high. The massive, fully-integrated structure of Nohoch Ná is an outstanding example of Petén monumental architecture from the Early Classic period (300-600 AD).

A very similar structure, called the Palace (Structure 44) can be seen at Dzibilchaltun, a Maya city north of Mérida in the state of Yucatan. The Palace also has 15 long rows of stairs that overlook a large plaza. This strongly suggests a function similar to Edzná's Structure 424. In addition to their "stadium seats" both structures also have a series of long rooms along their tops with numerous doorways separated by large numbers of pilasters. Both cities had very long histories of occupation and the two structures were built contemporaneously.

One of four long galleries atop Nohoch Ná. Two of the galleries run side-by-side along the northern half and another two on the southern. The galleries along the eastern side face east and the others (including this one) face west. A long dividing wall (above right) runs down the center of Structure 424, separated at the mid-point by the passageway mentioned previously. Each gallery has 12 entrances, separated by pilasters (above left), for a total of 48 doorways. All of the galleries were once covered by corbel vaults made of masonry.

The long narrow structure of the galleries, along with their many entrances, suggests purposes other than residential. Archeologists have suggested such functions as the control and distribution of merchandise, storage of elite luxury goods, or other administrative purposes. Nohoch Ná appears to have had multiple functions, including administrative activities, astronomical observations, and as a giant set of bleachers.

View of the northwestern steps of Nohoch Ná and the mysterious Circular Temple. Immediately adjacent to the northwestern tip of Structure 424 is a relatively small circular structure of a kind that is unusual in the Maya world. When I have encountered circular temples elsewhere in Mexico, they are usually associated with Ehecatl, the God of the Wind. Most temples for other gods are square or rectangular and are oriented to the Four Cardinal Directions. However, the wind can blow from any direction, so Ehecatl's temples are always circular. The Maya also had a Wind God. His name was Hunraqan ("One-legged"), from which we got the word hurricane. However, it is not clear whether Hunraqan was the deity worshipped here.


The Circular Temple (Structure 425)

The Circular Temple, viewed from the top of the north end of Nohoch Ná. This position allows a look inside the temple, which is also known as Structure 425. Within the circular room at the top is a smaller, rectangular room with a north facing door. This interior room may have been used for rituals that were especially secret or, alternatively, for storage of costumes and other ritual materials.

The structure is believed to be a temple rather than a dwelling because archeologists have found none of the ceramic fragments that are typically associated with residential spaces. While circular temples are not common forms of Maya architecture, other examples do exist. One that is nearly identical to Structure 425 is Platform 84, located at Dzehkabtun, about 35km (22mi) from Edzná. The only major difference between the two structures is that Platform 84 is oriented toward the west while Structure 425 faces north,

What the Circular Temple may have originally looked like. There are three concentric circular levels. The temple faces north, directly onto the sacbe that runs from the Great Acropolis, past the north end of Nohoch Ná, and toward ceremonial areas to the west. The temple has one Puuc-style stairway that is almost 9m (30ft) wide. Eight steps lead up to the single doorway,

The bottom half of the walls around the circular room are stone, but the upper section and the roof would have been constructed of perishable materials. The diameter of the base of the structure is 23m (75ft), while the diameter of the top-level room is 12.5m (41ft).

View of the Circular Temple from the northeast. In the upper left corner of the photo, you can see the Five Level Pyramid in the distance. The tourists at the temple provide a sense of scale. Fragments of ceramics found within the structure place it in the Terminal Classic period (900-1050 AD). Although the stairs and some of the other parts were made using well-cut stones from the earlier Puuc era, these were apparently recycled from older buildings when the Circular Temple was constructed. During excavation, archeologists found some very deteriorated remains of an underlying Pre-Classic structure.


Temple with the Half-Moon Terrace

The structure above stands only a few meters to the west of Nohoch Ná. Carole is the figure standing near its north side. There was no sign at the temple, identifying it or providing any information. Despite my best efforts, I have been unable to find any mention of it in the archeological literature, nor even a numerical designation.

Lacking a name, I decided to call it the "Temple with the Half-Moon Terrace", because of the unusual curving terrace on its east side. The temple stands close to the west side of Nohoch Ná, at its south end. This places it in the West Plaza, which is bordered by Nohoch Ná on the east, the Circular Temple to the north, and the large pyramid called Structure 501 to the west.

View of the "half-moon" terrace. The temple is not large, standing only about 1.8m (6ft) tall. The length of each of its four sides is approximately 15m (50ft). The east-facing staircase has 7-steps. The other three sides are smooth sloping ramps, rather than the stepped levels usually found on a structure like this.The temple's top level is flat and about 5m (16.5ft) on a side. At one time, this flat area probably contained a structure made of perishable materials.

Structures 501 and 512

Only the eastern side of Structure 501 has been excavated. The rest of it is still covered by jungle vegetation. This large pyramid faces east toward the western side of Nohoch Ná. As noted before, there is a direct line-of-sight between the temple on top of the pyramid to the central passageway of Nohoch Ná, then to the main staircase of the Great Acropolis, and finally to the temple atop the Five Level Pyramid. This alignment is apparently associated with astronomical observations. I regret that I didn't spend more time at this structure or get more photos. I am especially intrigued by the curved balustrades on either side of the top of the staircase.

Structure 512 is close to the sacbe that runs from Edzná's entrance to the Main Plaza. This small temple was built in the Post-Classic era (1000-1200 AD). Edzná experienced a demographic boom and an intense period of construction during that period. As a consequence, new architectural forms began appearing. These included the sloping panels and moldings seen above. There is a very similar temple at Chichen Itzá, a structure built contemporaneously with Structure 512.

A spiny-tailed iguana basks on a ledge of Nohoch Ná. The scientific name of this creature is Ctenosaura. These lizards are omnivorous and are popular as pets. Their name comes from two Greek words: ctenos (comb) and saura (lizard). Iguanas are wonderful photographic subjects because they tend to remain absolutely still unless you approach too closely or otherwise disturb them. We saw spiny-tails and other iguana species throughout the Edzná ruins.

This completes Part 6 of my Edzná series. In my final two postings of this series, I will show some of the elite living areas that form the north end of the Main Plaza. I will also outline some of the extraordinary history of the city. I hope you have enjoyed this posting. If so, please leave any thoughts or questions you might have in the Comments section below or email me directly. If you leave a question, PLEASE leave your email address so that I can respond.

Hasta luego, Jim