Travel Guide Dzibanché

At 80 km from Chetumal, the Dzibanché - Kinichná complex is located between the low forest of the north of the peninsula and the rain forest of the Petén. Covering more than 40 km2, it is one of the largest and most important archaeological sites in southern Quintana Roo and no doubt rivaled the great city of Calakmul in the neighboring state of Campeche. We do not know its original name; the Maya term Dzibanché "writing on wood" was given to it in 1927 by Thomas Gann, military doctor and English amateur archaeologist. It refers to the carved lintels of the embrasures of the Templo del Edificio VI, which were dismantled to ensure their conservation.