Nohmul
Encyclopedia
Nohmul is a pre-Columbian
Maya
archaeological site located on the eastern Yucatán Peninsula
, in what is today northern Belize
. Nohmul was occupied initially during the Preclassic era of Mesoamerican chronology
(c. 350BCE
to ). By the 5th century monumental construction at the site had effectively ceased, and the site seems to have been largely abandoned save for some scattered rural-domestic activities. After a hiatus in construction activities of several centuries, Nohmul was reoccupied and large-scale building resumed, with maximal activity seen during the Late Classic (c. 7th–10th centuries).
The site is noted for its unusual layout, with the urban or ceremonial precinct spanning the crest of a ridge and consisting of two separated clusters of structures linked by Maya raised causeway, or sacbe
, running between the two groups.
The name Nohmul may be glossed as meaning "great mound" in (Yucatec) Maya.
Nohmul is spread out among privately owned sugar cane fields 7 miles (11 km) north of Orange Walk Town in northern Belize. The site occupies about 12 square miles (31.1 km²) of land. The ceremonial center is located on a limestone ridge overlooking the Río Hondo
, a permanent river that forms the modern border between Mexico and Belize at this point.
The main site also consists of two groups of buildings with ten plazas. Combined, these complexes house more than 81 separate buildings. Most of them were constructed either in the preclassic or Classic period, although there is evidence of additional building activity in the early Postclassic.
Built at a vantage point on the Hondo River to control the region's trade routes, the site had a long life. Structures of the northern Yucatán type were built over those erected in the Classic. Some of these new constructions covered the front of older stairways. These newer constructions include one that resembles the Caracol in Chichén Itzá. These later constructions support the theory that outsiders from the Yucatán settled in Nohmul.
Pre-Columbian
The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic period to European colonization during...
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...
archaeological site located on the eastern 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...
, in what is today northern Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
. Nohmul was occupied initially during the Preclassic era of Mesoamerican chronology
Mesoamerican chronology
Mesoamerican chronology divides the history of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica into several periods: the Paleo-Indian , the Archaic , the Preclassic , the Classic , and the Postclassic...
(c. 350BCE
Common Era
Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
to ). By the 5th century monumental construction at the site had effectively ceased, and the site seems to have been largely abandoned save for some scattered rural-domestic activities. After a hiatus in construction activities of several centuries, Nohmul was reoccupied and large-scale building resumed, with maximal activity seen during the Late Classic (c. 7th–10th centuries).
The site is noted for its unusual layout, with the urban or ceremonial precinct spanning the crest of a ridge and consisting of two separated clusters of structures linked by Maya raised causeway, or sacbe
Sacbe
right|thumb|Sacbe at Dzibilchaltun in the Yucatánthumb|right|Arch at the end of the sacbé, Kabah, YucatánSacbe, plural Sacbeob, or "white ways" are raised paved roads built by the Maya civilization of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica...
, running between the two groups.
The name Nohmul may be glossed as meaning "great mound" in (Yucatec) Maya.
Nohmul is spread out among privately owned sugar cane fields 7 miles (11 km) north of Orange Walk Town in northern Belize. The site occupies about 12 square miles (31.1 km²) of land. The ceremonial center is located on a limestone ridge overlooking the Río Hondo
Hondo River (Belize)
The Rio Hondo is a river of Central America, approximately 150 km in length, which flows in a northeasterly direction to discharge into Chetumal Bay on the Caribbean Sea...
, a permanent river that forms the modern border between Mexico and Belize at this point.
The main site also consists of two groups of buildings with ten plazas. Combined, these complexes house more than 81 separate buildings. Most of them were constructed either in the preclassic or Classic period, although there is evidence of additional building activity in the early Postclassic.
Built at a vantage point on the Hondo River to control the region's trade routes, the site had a long life. Structures of the northern Yucatán type were built over those erected in the Classic. Some of these new constructions covered the front of older stairways. These newer constructions include one that resembles the Caracol in Chichén Itzá. These later constructions support the theory that outsiders from the Yucatán settled in Nohmul.