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Chacchoben (chak-CHO-ben; Maya for "the place of red corn") is the name of a Mayan ruin approximately 110 mi (177 km) south of Tulum
Tulum

Tulum is the site of a Pre-Columbian Maya civilization Defensive wall serving as a major port for Cob?.The ruins are located on 39-foot cliffs, along the east coast of the Yucat?n Peninsula on the Caribbean Sea in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico....
 and 7 mi (11 km) from the village from which it derives its name.

lement by the Maya at the site is estimated at 200 BC, and the structures date from 700 AD.

he 1940s a farm was established near the site by the Cohuo family, but the ruins were officially reported to the Mexican
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
 government in June 1972 by Dr. Peter Harrison, an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 archaeologist.






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Chacchoben (chak-CHO-ben; Maya for "the place of red corn") is the name of a Mayan ruin approximately 110 mi (177 km) south of Tulum
Tulum

Tulum is the site of a Pre-Columbian Maya civilization Defensive wall serving as a major port for Cob?.The ruins are located on 39-foot cliffs, along the east coast of the Yucat?n Peninsula on the Caribbean Sea in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico....
 and 7 mi (11 km) from the village from which it derives its name.

History

Settlement by the Maya at the site is estimated at 200 BC, and the structures date from 700 AD.

Modern discovery

In the 1940s a farm was established near the site by the Cohuo family, but the ruins were officially reported to the Mexican
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
 government in June 1972 by Dr. Peter Harrison, an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 archaeologist. Harrison stumbled upon this site while flying a helicopter over Mexico and noticed numerous hills in predominately flat lands. Harrison realized there were temples beneath these hills, which were naturally covered over a period of 2000 years.

Restoration

In 1994 the Mexican National Institute of Anthropology and History
National Institute of Anthropology and History

The Instituto Nacional de Antropolog?a e Historia is a Federal government of the United Mexican States bureau established in 1939 to guarantee the research, preservation, protection, and promotion of the prehistoric, Archaeology, Anthropology, History, and Paleontology heritage of Mexico....
 (INAH) excavated and restored the site, which was closed to the public until 2002.

Chacchoben today

Chacchoben
Visitors to the site today walk a circular path that includes three excavated and restored pyramids, as well as many walls and staircases. Excavation is continuing on several mounds which are known to contain further buildings. Some structures still bear traces of the red paint with which they were originally coated, and INAH has set up shaded areas to prevent further degradation of this pigment by the sun. Also notable at the base of the largest pyramid is a large stone slab called a stela with a Mayan hieroglyphic inscription. Chacchoben is one of the more popular ruin sites in southern Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo

Quintana Roo is a Mexican state of Mexico, on the eastern part of the Yucat?n Peninsula. It borders the States of Yucat?n and Campeche to the north and west, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the nation of Belize to the south....
, with regular tourist trips from the port of Costa Maya.

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