Labna
Location:  Yucatan, Mexico
1.5 hours south of Merida, 40 minutes from Uxmal, 5.5 hours from Cancun

 






 
Labna, like its neighbor Kabah, is built in the Classic Puuc style. Labna dates between 600-900 A.D. A small and intimate site, it is filled with exquisite and intricate details. The Puuc Maya style of building is astounding for its incredible artistry. Without the use of iron, the builders seem to have accomplished the impossible.

Upon entering this site, the first building on the left (El Palacio) has a large rendition of the rain god Chac over the front door. As in other cities in the Puuc region, which has very few rivers or streams, a great reverence to Chac is shown in the numerous representations of this deity.

On one corner of the building a serpent opens his mouth revealing the head of a human. Notice the intricate geometric forms and patterns carved into the trim work. Each design has a specific meaning in the cosmology of the Maya.

The corbelled arch at Labna is famous for being one of the most intricately decorated yet discovered in the world of the ancient Maya. Chac masks are seen on both of the arch´s upper corners. Carvings of stylized Mayan huts appear above the doorways.

Like other arches at Mayan sites, it was an entrance to the city with several sacbes (ancient roads) leading up to it. Sacbes are intellectually and metaphysically challenging. The Maya created these limestone capped brilliantly white highways connecting the many cities of the Yucatan, yet no wheel was ever used to create them and no wheel ever traversed them.

Down the sacbe and under the arch you come to El Mirador, an unusual structure perched on top of mound with a well-preserved roofcomb and remnants of a sculpture of a human figure on its corner. Without iron to chisel and sculpt these vast cities of rock, and no wheel or beast of burden to move them, our preconceived notions of the capabilities of "stone age" people can´t help but be challenged.




 

Maya Sites Travel Services excursions to Labna:

For tours that include Labna visit our Yucatan Excursions page!

Traveling April to mid-December?
Private tour to Tulum, Coba, Chichen Itza and Ek Balam
is included in our Off Season Vacation Packages

SPECIAL ANNUAL TOUR:

Spring Equinox at Chichen Itza & Dzibilchaltun
March 19-22, 2015
With Archaeologist & Maya Expert
Alfonso Morales Cleveland
Plus Ek Balam, Uxmal, Labna,
Tulum, Coba & More!

For more information phone our U.S. office toll free 1-877-620-8715
Outside of the U.S. (county code 1) 505-255-2279
Or, e-mail us at [email protected]. See you soon!

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