Becan Ruins
By Anne Kiehl & Dave Krieg
The sprawling Becan ruin of the Rio Bec Maya culture in south-central Yucatan was a favorite of ours. Dating from 500 BC, Becan has some of the largest antique buildings in the state. The Rio Bec style features "Palaces" with flanking towers and with solid stone "temples" on top of the pyramids. The towers and doorways were usually capped with roof-combs, and enormous feathered-serpents decorated all the ceremonial buildings.
The ruins are surrounded by a dry moat, one of the few found in Maya. It is 50 feet wide, 13 feet deep and approximately 1.4 miles in diameter. Archeologists believe it was used for defense from war-faring neighbors.
The ruin is set in an area of dense jungle with marshy savannas. We spent a lot of time clambering around steep mounds shaded by the towering forest of beautiful feathery palm trees. I watched lots of birds flying in and out of a big tree. Altamira Orioles, Cedar Waxwings, Great Kiskadees, and many little birds were dining on red berries.
Most exciting was a quick view of a few Howler Monkeys scampering through the trees. They are named for the loud calls they make while they are defending their territory. It is more of a roar than a howl; the sound is amplified by the monkeys enlarged tongue, larynx, and lower jaw. When we heard them, they must have some real problems to straighten out with intruders as they roared for about a half hour.
Finding three stucco monkey masks was interesting, as there were few other representational sculptures discovered in the Rio Bec area.
