Chicanná was a Maya

Maya civilization

The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period The Maya is a Mesoamerican...

 town from the Classic period. The name means "House of the Serpent Mouth" in the Mayan language. The site is located just two kilometers west of Becan

Becan

Becan is an archaeological site of the Maya civilization in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. Becan is located near the center of the Yucatán Peninsula, in the present-day Mexican state of Campeche, about 150 km north of Tikal. The Maya sites of Balamku, Calakmul, Chicanna and Xpuhil are nearby...

 in the Mexican state of Campeche

Campeche

Campeche is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Located in Southeast Mexico, it is bordered by the states of Yucatán to the north east, Quintana Roo to the east, and Tabasco to the south west...

 on the Yucatán peninsula

Yucatán Peninsula

The Yucatán Peninsula, in southeastern Mexico, separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico, with the northern coastline on the Yucatán Channel...

. Chicanná was inhabited from 300

300

Year 300 was a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Constantius and Valerius...

 to 1100. There is evidence that Chicanná may have been dependent on Becán for much of its existence. Chicanná is one of the most striking examples in the region of the mixing of architectural styles. It's buildings have features of the Río Bec

Rio Bec

Río Bec is a Pre-Columbian Maya archaeological site located in what is now southern portion of the Mexican state of Campeche. The name also refers to an architectural style that first appeared at Río Bec and subsequently spread to other nearby sites...

, Chenes and even the Puuc

Puuc

Puuc is the name of either a region in the Mexican state of Yucatán or a Maya architectural style prevalent in that region. The word "puuc" is derived from the Maya term for "hill". Since the Yucatán is relatively flat, this term was extended to encompass the large karstic range of hills in the...

style from the north. It does not have large pyramids, but relatively small buildings with an ornateness and quality of decoration that suggests that this was a center for the regions elite. It's tallest structure is that of Structure XX.

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