Ancient Wonders along the Ruta Puuc: Labna

El Palacio, the first structure one will encounter in Labna

The sun was getting lower when we arrived in Labna, our last stop along the Ruta Puuc. We started the day in Uxmal – the most important and impressive city in the Puuc region of the Yucatán Peninsula – then continued to Kabah (home to the eccentric Codz Pop) and Sayil (where the ruins made me feel as if I were Indiana Jones exploring a mysterious site). But Labna supposedly has something the other places don’t, and that was what we wanted to check out before calling it a day.

Labna’s apogee occurred around the same time as Kabah and Sayil, a period between the ninth to the tenth centuries CE known as the Terminal Classic. Some even suggest that Labna might have been the squash and maize bowl of this region to support larger populations in Uxmal and Kabah, in addition to its function as a frontier post to gather intelligence regarding rival Maya states of the Chenes region (in the modern-day Mexican state of Campeche).

This past significance of Labna was immediately evident as we came across a large two-story palace (El Palacio) soon after we entered the archaeological zone. Typical of the architectural style of the Puuc region, the lower part of the structure was mostly devoid of ornaments, except for the colonnettes that framed each door. Above it, however, a profusion of sculptures ran along the edifice’s upper band. Unsurprisingly, Chaac was present, easily distinguishable by his long, curved nose. But one particular corner caught my attention, for it portrayed a human head emerging from inside the open jaws of a reptile. Is this related to the depiction of Kukulkan at Uxmal’s Nunnery Quadrangle, implying a similar cult practiced at both places? I don’t know, but that would be an intriguing subject to study.

Interestingly, the palace was never completed for an unknown reason, and apparently there is evidence that the residents of Labna conducted a ritual to destroy the main entrances to the building prior to abandoning it.

We left El Palacio behind and walked down the sacbe (raised paved road built by the ancient Maya) that connects the grand edifice with the southern compound within the archaeological zone. First, we saw El Mirador (literally “the Lookout”), a pyramid topped by a structure with an opening on its southwestern façade. Its height will undoubtedly catch the attention of any visitor to this site. To its west, however, stood something special that is purportedly the most elaborate of its kind in the ancient Maya world: El Arco.

Literally “the Arch”, it is a fine example of the so-called Mosaic Puuc style where finely-cut stones were used to create features that include lattice panels, niches (once adorned by human figures in a seated position), geometrical patterns, and cresting with decorative elements. It is believed to have functioned as a gateway to the residential compound of a high-level family that separated it from the central plaza of the city. Unfortunately, only parts of the ornaments survive to this day.

Labna was rather off the beaten path to begin with, and the fact that we visited this site toward its closing time meant that we had this place almost to ourselves. We were taking photos of the arch in such a peaceful setting, until suddenly we heard a crescendo of a big group of local schoolchildren coming right toward us! They eventually gathered around the other side of El Arco, and while they were listening to their teacher explaining about the structure in front of them, we quickly sneaked out and found our way back to the sacbe. If this was in Indonesia, the kids would probably have ambushed the unsuspecting foreign visitors and gleefully asked them random questions to practice their English.

The sun was really low at this point, and we rushed to the final structure within the archaeological zone: the Temple of the Columns. The discovery of chultuns (underground cisterns built by the ancient Maya) and stone grinding tools around the temple suggests that this might have been the residence of another high-ranking family within the city.

The Yucatecan sun which had been very generous since the start of the day in Uxmal suddenly dimmed its light, thanks to the thick clouds on the western horizon, and that signaled us to wrap up our visit. We returned to the parking area where Abdiel was patiently waiting, and moments later we were once again on Federal Highway 261, going back to Mérida. It had been a long yet satisfying day, but now it was time for us to rest.