History

Most ancient Mayan cities are known to the North Americans as the lost Mayan cities, and deservedly so because most of them are still in the process of being discovered. In fact, the archeological excavations have barely scratched the surface. The Mayan civilization remains one of the greatest and has shaped a lot of South American culture. Dzibanche is part of this civilization, and much of its original architecture is still believed to be hidden. The much that has been excavated however has been a magnet to tourists especially from North America. For that reason, hundreds of thousands of North American tourists visit these lost Mayan cities to feed their curiosities.

One of the things that I would be interested in by visiting the lost city is the Mayan education system or mathematics. They discovered zero, and subsequently came up with such a mathematical system that saw them create wonderful architecture and run the empire like a modern state complete with an efficient taxation system. However, exploring Dzibanche is not a mission to explore the Mayan culture per se, it is really about trying to understand this ruin, and it relationship with the Mayan empire.

There is a common thread to all the Mayan cities and especially the architecture and location of the cities, and so naturally, I would like to find out if this citys architecture is consistent with the other Mayan architecture. Supposing the architecture differs from that of the other Mayan cities That may just be a sign that more research has to be carried out in that area, and especially the relationship between the Maya and the neighboring communities such as Olmec, Zapotech and Oaxaca.  Origins of Dzibanche

Dizibanche was part of the great Mayan civilization, which was characterized by rich architectural, astronomical, art and cultural systems. This was one of the greatest civilizations in the world complete with its own written language, mathematical and astronomical systems. The Mayan mathematical systems complemented the architecture that is today found in the cities that has led many to conclude that the Mayan social system including kings, temples and warriors was an extravagant affair. A sound computational system is always an indispensible part of a great civilization, and the Mayan civilization is no different. Some of the features that can be attributed to its mathematics include the architecture of its cities, taxation, astronomy (cycles of the sun and the moon) and inventions of cement and concrete (Alecio, Irby and Aldana). To date some books that date back to this ancient civilization exist as a testimony of the rich culture that was the Mayan system.

History of the Mayan empire
Dzibanche was one of the Mayan cities that sprawled the present day Mexico, and therefore, the history of the Dzibanche is hardly detachable from that of the larger Mayan empire. Early habitation of the Mayan empire is thought to date back to 10th century BC, but organized human habitation attributable to the Mayans was established around 2000 BC. It was from this point onwards that the Mayan civilization started to evolve reaching its zenith in the third century AD. The era between 1500 BC and 250 AD is better known as the pre-classic period. This is the period that was characterized by the rise of the Maya empire alongside neighboring communities notably the Olmec, Zapotec and Oaxaca. There was a great deal of intercultural influence between the Mayans and the neighboring communities during this period, but the next period, known as the classical era between 250 AD and 900AD, saw the emergence and dominance of the Mayan culture over the rest of the communities.
 
It was during the classic era that the Mayan empire expanded to cover Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador and Honduras. Notable in the rise of the Mayan empire was the rise of sophisticated architecture that included temples, observatories (buildings strategically constructed and positioned to monitor any military threats against the empire), pyramids and palaces. Amongst the cities that made part of the Mayan empire was Dzibanche, a city located in the central lowlands of the Maya empire in a region known as Rio Bec region. The city, as is characteristic of any other Mayan empire city during the classic era is characterized by marvelous architecture including worship sites and buildings for various social and economic activities. The name of the city Dzibanche means writing on the wood, which is in reference to the quebracho wood that is part of the structure of temple number VI in the city.

Some structures in the city date back to the early classic era (300AD-600AD). According to (Garcia), the inscriptions on the steps of the site as one enters the Dzibanche site indicate that the site could have been a capital of one of the early polities within the Mayan empire known as the Kaan dynasty. To stake the claim (Garcia) contends that if the capital of Kaan dynasty was elsewhere, then the inscription of the serpent should have been present in the city of Calamkul, which has widely been considered as the capital of the center of the kaan dynasty.

The earliest dating for the Dzibanche site is 200AD although the temple that it derives its name from has been dated to 618 AD. Nevertheless the site where the city stands is thought to have been inhabited from as early as 200 BC, but the quintessential Mayan architecture that has so far been found puts the time for the buildings at between 200 AD and 600 AD.

The towns architecture is similar to the Mayan cities in the period, but there is the curious interpretation of the hieroglyphs on the steps of Dzibanche. Apart from the serpent, which has been interpreted in some quarters to mean that the site could have been the headquarters of the Kaan dynasty, other inscriptions on the step has led to the questioning of whether the site could have been a torture chambers or a prison. Some of the translations of the hieroglyphs that have led to the belief that the site could have been a prison or a torture include such words like arms behind back, knots visible around chest and rope around neck shown twisted.

According to (mesoweb) Dzibanche is a candidate for an early Kaan center, with its captive stairway having the names of Yuknoom Cheen I inscribed on it. Further to that, the author credits Yuknoom, also known as the snake ruler, with numerous captures, which are thought to have taken place around fifth century BC. The site could therefore have been used for detention of prisoners by the Kaan dynasty during that period. The slight corollary to this theory is that the captives may have been from Palengue, which is the place the snake ruler could have been invading.  If that was the case then the distance covered may have been too long as compared to the alternative attack or captive point, which would have been Calakmul.  (Garcia) also questions the  same, but his contention is where the prisoners came from bacause none of the steps mentions the place of origins, yet during such a period it would be the norm to declare conquests, and if the prisoners were sourced from within the empire, then the inscritptions should have at least acknowleged that this was a prison.

All these curiosities aside, the larger city of Dzibanche is characterized by an architectural complex with a number of palaces and plazas. The lintel that makes up the sixth temple, and which inspired the name Dzibanche is also inscribed with the Mayan calender for the year 733 AD.
life for the residents of Dzibanche

Dzibache is located in a hilly area surrounded by a flat land. The Mayan residents were diverse in terms of their economic activities, with evidence pointing towards the presence of farmers, weavers, potters and other skills such as rain water harvesting and storage.  The Mayan empire was sort of stratified in terms of financial activity so that  on the lowlands were relied upon to  produce crops while those at the highlands practised mining, supplying the empire with such minerals like Jade, obsidian, hematite and cinnabar (Lost civilizations). The residents of this city must have been engaged in mining that created a trading city with the surrounding flat lands providing the necessary transportation for the minerals. The site must also have been an observatory point because of its postioning. Being a raised highland surrounded by a plateau  must have provided a strategic location for sighting any advancing enemies.

Geography
Dzibanche occupies an area of 40 square kilometers and neighbours another ancient metropolis known as Kohunlich. The area is located in what was the central Mayan empire a few kilometers to the sea. The Dzibanche location is also known as Rio Bec Region, and this is in reference to architectural styles that characterize temples in the Mayan lowlands. The area stretching 40 kilometers is the place the residents of this city built their homes. In addition to dwellings, the site has other Mayan architecture essentials such as temples and public buildings are also present. However, a number  of plazas that are surrounded by palaces make up the main site complex.

As is the case with all other cities in the Maya empire , Dzibanche was located in an area with an abundant water supply. The mayans were known to prefer areas with rivers or other water bodies for their habitation, and Dzibanche was no exception. Moreover, the city contains many several underground excavations that serve as water collection and storage structures (Lost civilizations). The region around Dzibanche is surrounded by tropical forest or jungle, and somewhat isolated. This is probably because of the raised highland in the midst of a plateau, which concentrated the population around a small area.

Usefulness of maps
Exploring Dzibanche will definitely need a map. Its location is not obvious and getting to  the place is not a guarantee. There are a number of cities in the region that was once the Maya empire and if one  is not careful, it is easy to end up in the wrong city. The Dzibanche ruins for example, are a few kilometers from a similar one known as Kohunlich. Both are just a few kilometers from the cost and one needs to be clear from the time he leaves the port. In other words, Mayan empire was a large empire, and for one to enjoy the expedition, it is important that a map is present. A map will act as a menu for the traveller.

The map being refered to is not one of those run of the mill maps that the government uses to estimate its population or do other forms of planning. It is one that will contain information about where different sites are, and the kind of transportation and accomodation available. For one keen on  studying as many of the sites as possible, it would be prudent to understand the relative location of the sites so that a convinient schedule can be drawn to ensure efficiency and convinience. The map is therefore an indispensible implement if one wants to get through all the city ruins in the area.

Conclusion
One fundamental issue that most scholars have  not given satisfactory answer is the relationship between the Mayan empire and Aztec empire. Two ancient communities could not have coexisted without a form of conflict or in the absence of one, a sort of symbiotic relationship that justifies peace. Could these communities have been trading partners, constantly at war or one empire was subordinate to the other. In addition, there is the question of the  last occupation in the area some point to the last one as having been at the end of the late classic era (900 AD), while another school of thought initimates that there were settlements as late as 1500 AD.

Those questions aside, it is at least clear that the city was like the other Mayan empire cities in as far as the architecture and location are concerned. The presence of hieroglyphics is a testimony of the rich cultural dimension of the civilization, although the inscriptions and the meanings remain somewhat of a mystery. The magnificence of the site is a justification of the hundreds of thousands of tourists who visit the  site every year. Perhaps the greatest experience would be in being able to read the hiegographic texts that are inscribed in the Mayan artefacts.