Nohochná

Nohochná, meaning “large house” in Yucatec Maya, is 135 meters long on a north-south axis, 31 meters wide, and 9 meters high. A very wide stairway with 15 enormous steps covers almost the entire east side. In the upper part are four long rooms entered between wide pilasters. The interior spaces suggest administrative uses such as hearings, the control and distribution of goods, and accounting, while the size of the steps suggests they could also have served as seating for events held in the principal plaza. Architecturally, the building closely resembles Structure 44 at Dzibilchaltún, Yucatán. Both are examples of Petén monumental architecture, a style that predates other Maya styles and appears across many places in the Yucatán Peninsula, northern Guatemala, southern Campeche, and Quintana Roo, with recent research indicating that its appearance and development were quite uniform throughout the Maya world.

Campeche · Mexico