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Pyramid of Kinich Kakmo

C. 27 365, Centro, 97540 Izamal, Yuc., Mexico

The Kinich Kakmó Pyramid is located north of the Franciscan Monastery of Saint Anthony of Padua, just a 10-minute walk from the center. It is one of the largest pyramids in Mexico, with 2 levels (essentially one pyramid standing on top of another), a total height of 35 meters from the base, and a volume of 700,000 cubic meters. Because of this, it is believed that Izamal could have been the capital or a very important Maya settlement, as well as a center of science and healthcare.
Magical Towns of Mexico (Pueblo Mágico) - Izamal
photo
Jermaine

Kinich Kakmo (also written as Kinich-As-Mu) was a God of the Maya Pantheon. In the pantheon of the Maya civilization, this deity is associated with one of the aspects of the Sun God. In the Maya language, this name breaks down as follows: K'iin, meaning sun; Ich, meaning face or eyes; Kaak', fire; mu, macaw. It is a fiery macaw with a face or eyes resembling the sun. In the Dresden Codex, Kinich Kakmo is depicted with the head of a macaw and a human body, holding a lit torch in each hand, which serves to confirm the interpretation of this name made by Maya scholars known as Alfredo Barrera Vásquez. In the cited Codex, the torch is interpreted as a symbol of drought or scorching heat.

On the monuments of the Maya of Yucatan, Kinich Kakmo is depicted in the form of a macaw and with a symbol corresponding to the sun that precedes the drawing. It is interpreted that the Maya believed that the God Kinich descended in the rays of the midday sun to burn and thus purify the sacrifices or offerings brought to the Maya Pantheon, using the form of the macaw for this purpose. During times of pandemics or plague epidemics, people came with offerings to Kinich Kakmo because they believed that the sun saved them from diseases. Kinich Kakmo was considered a manifestation of Kinich Ahau, the Sun God. He was also associated with Zamna or Itzamna, and it was under this name that he was worshiped in Izamal, where the Maya erected a pyramid that today is linked to his name, and currently, a monastery of San Antonio de Padua stands on its site.

The Kinich Kakmo pyramid, located north of the main square of the city of Izamal, is one of the largest in Mexico, with a volume of 700,000 cubic meters and a height of 35 meters. Based on this size and the architectural ensemble accompanying this pyramid, archaeologist Charles Lincoln suggests that Izamal was one of the largest religious centers in Mexico, including from demographic, political, and economic perspectives.

Within the colonial city of Izamal are other important Maya monuments, some of which are currently being excavated by the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico. In the Classic Mesoamerican period, it was called the City of Hills in honor of five supposedly visible mounds that contained pre-Columbian monuments.

Sources:

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinich_Kakm%C3%B3

 

photo
Jermaine

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