Toniná

Tonina (Toniná in the Spanish language) is a pre-Columbian archaeological site and ruined city of the Maya civilization located in what is now the Mexican state of Chiapas, some 13 km (8.1 mi) east of the town of Ocosingo.

The site is medium to large, with groups of temple-pyramids, the largest being some 76 m (249.3 ft) high, a large court for playing the Mesoamerican ballgame, and over 100 carved monuments, most dating from the Maya Classic Era from the 6th century through the 9th century.

Rulers

Rulers of Tonina recorded in the Maya script on Tonina monuments include:
* B'alam Ya Acal - 6th century
* Chac B'olom Chaak
* K'inich Hix Chapat - c. 595-665
* king, name unknown - 668-687
* K'inich B'aaknal Chaak - 688-715
* King, name undecyphered - c.717 -723
* K'inich Ich'aak Chapat - 723 - c. 739
* K'inich Tuun Chapat - 8th century
* Ruler, name undeciphered - 787 - c. 806
* Uh Chapat - early 9th century

The known last recorded date at the site is featured on Monument 101 as 909 CE.

Archaeological investigations

The first published account of the ruins was made by Fray Jacinto Garrido at the end of the 17th century. A number of visitors investigated the ruins of Tonina in the 19th century, the first being an expedition led by Guillaume Dupaix in 1808. John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood visited in 1840, but these usually meticulous antiquitarians published only a short mention of their visit which added little to the knowledge of the site. More thorough accounts did not come until the 1890s, when Eduard Seler, Karl Sapper, and others mapped and photographed the site.

Frans Blom and Oliver La Farge investigated the site in 1925 for Tulane University. Blom returned in 1928, discovering additional monuments in the area.

The "French Tonina Project" began excavations in 1972 which continued through 1975, then resumed in 1979 to 1980, under the direction of Pierre Becquelin. The National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico (INAH) began their own excavations at Tonina the following year.

The site is accessible for tourism and has a small museum.

Gallery

External links

* [http://www.delange.org/Tonina/Tonina.htm The DeLanges visit Tonina, with lots of photos]
* [http://www.wohlmut.com/Maya/Tonina.htm Toniná Archeological Site]
* [http://www.tourbymexico.com/chiapas/tonina/tonina.htm Tonina on TourByMexico.com] photos
* [http://pages.prodigy.com/GBonline/tonina.html Tonina, short description and photos on GBonline]