# Puuc > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Puuc > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Puuc.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puuc > Source revision: 1323656151 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Region and Maya architectural style of Yucatán, Mexico}} {{Expand Spanish|Puuc|topic=geo|date=December 2009}} thumb|Major sites of the Puuc style (black), Chenes style (green) and transitional styles (blue)[[Image:PuucChunjuju.jpg|right|thumb|Puuc building at [Xculoc](/source/Xculoc), [Campeche](/source/Campeche_(state)), as drawn by [Frederick Catherwood](/source/Frederick_Catherwood), 1841 ]] [[File:Sayil2.jpg|right|thumb|Ruins of the Palace of [Sayil](/source/Sayil).]] [[File:2002.12.29 19 Codz Poop Kabah Yucatan Mexico.jpg|thumb|Decoration of Codz Poop at [Kabáh](/source/Kab%C3%A1h).]] [[File:0077 Uxmal.JPG|thumb|Detail of building in the Nunnery Quadrangle in [Uxmal](/source/Uxmal).]] '''Puuc''' is the name of a region in the [Mexican state](/source/Mexican_state) of [Yucatán](/source/Yucat%C3%A1n_(state)) and a [Maya architectural](/source/Maya_architecture) style prevalent in that region. The word ''puuc'' is derived from the Maya term for "[hill](/source/hill)". Since the Yucatán is relatively flat, this term was extended to encompass the large [karst](/source/karst)ic range of hills in the southern portion of the state, hence the terms '''Puuc region''' or '''Puuc hills'''. The Puuc hills extend into northern [Campeche](/source/Campeche) and western [Quintana Roo](/source/Quintana_Roo). The term Puuc is also used to designate the [architectural style](/source/Mesoamerican_architecture) of ancient Maya sites located within the Puuc hills, hence the term '''Puuc architecture'''. This architectural style began at the end of the [Late Classic](/source/Mesoamerican_chronology) period but experienced its greatest extent during the [Terminal Classic](/source/Mesoamerican_chronology) period. ==Puuc architecture== In the florescence of Puuc architecture (such as at the ancient [Maya](/source/Maya_civilization) site of [Uxmal](/source/Uxmal)) buildings were decorated with carefully cut [veneer](/source/Stone_veneer) stones set into a [concrete](/source/concrete) core. The lower portion of the [façade](/source/fa%C3%A7ade)s are blank with a flat surface of rectangular blocks punctuated by doorways, while the upper façade is richly decorated with intricate stone [mosaic](/source/mosaic)s, often alternating repeated geometric elements with more elaborate figurative sculpture. Long-nosed masks (commonly believed to be of the Maya rain god [Chaac](/source/Chaac)) are found on many Puuc buildings. Beyond the impressive decorative elements of Puuc architecture, the use of a concrete core is also considered an architectural advance beyond the earlier Maya technique of using larger stones (set on top of one another in lime and mud mortar) for structural support. The concrete core-veneer [masonry](/source/masonry) allowed for slightly larger and more stable interior rooms. Many [corbelled vaults](/source/corbelled_arch) in the Puuc style remain standing, even when most of the veneer stones have fallen away. The most famous of the [Maya sites](/source/List_of_Maya_sites) exhibiting the Puuc architectural style is [Uxmal](/source/Uxmal); other major Puuc-style sites in the region include [Labna](/source/Labna), [Kabah](/source/Kabah%2C_Yucat%C3%A1n), [Sayil](/source/Sayil) and [Xlapak](/source/Xlapak). The architectural style is also seen at [Kiuic](/source/Kiuic), [Bolonchen](/source/Bolonchen), [Chunhuhub](/source/Chunhuhub), [Xculoc](/source/Xculoc), and many smaller ruins. The transition from earlier Classic Period architecture to Puuc style core-veneer masonry is well documented at the site of [Oxkintok](/source/Oxkintok). To the south, the style can be found in [Edzná](/source/Edzn%C3%A1); and to the east at [Chichen Itza](/source/Chichen_Itza) (outside of the Puuc Hills region). As stated by the Maya explorer Teobert Maler, who explored this zone intensively, the area around the site of Dolores is full of ruins. The recently completed Chunhuaymil project compiled data of the remaining Puuc architecture of 19 archaeological sites located in a 100 square kilometers area.Merk, Stephan (2011): The Long Silence. Sabana Piletas and Its Neighbours. Markt Schwaben: Saurwein. ==Puuc Biocultural State Reserve== '''Puuc Biocultural State Reserve''', also known as Kaxil Kiuic reserve ([Spanish](/source/Spanish_language) ''Reserva Estatal Biocultural del Puuc'') was designated in 2011. It covers an area of 1358.93 km2.UNEP-WCMC (2020). Protected Area Profile for Reserva Estatal Biocultural del Puuc from the World Database of Protected Areas, November 2020. Available at: www.protectedplanet.net The reserve was created to protect the region's archeological sites as well as its biodiverse flora and fauna. The reserve is home to 247 bird, 63 mammal, 52 reptile, and 14 amphibian species. Five species of large felines, including [jaguar](/source/jaguar)s, live in the reserve."Chichen Itzá, Jumping in a Cenote, and a Biocultural Reserve!" Science Abroad, Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. Accessed 15 November 2020. [https://sebstravel.rutgers.edu/2019/03/18/chichen-itza-jumping-in-a-cenote-and-a-biocultural-reserve/] ==References== *Andrews, George F. (1999) ''Pyramids, Palaces, Monsters and Masks: The Golden Age of Maya Architecture''. Labyrinthos Press, Culvert City. *Carmean, Kelli, Nicholas Dunning and Jeff K. Kowalski. 2004 ''High times in the hill country: a perspective from the Terminal Classic Puuc region''. In, The Terminal Classic in the Maya Lowlands: Collapse, Transition, and Transformation. Arthur A. Demarest, Prudence M. Rice, and Don S. Rice, eds. pp. 424–449. University Press of Colorado, Boulder. *Dunning, Nicholas P. 1992 ''Lords of the Hills: Ancient Maya Settlement in the Puuc Region, Yucatán, Mexico''. Centre d'Etudes Mexicaines et Centraméricaines, Mexico. *Dunning, Nicholas P. and Jeff K. Kowalski. 1994 ''Lord of the Hills: Classic Maya settlement patterns and political iconography in the Puuc Region, Mexico.'' Ancient Mesoamerica 5(1):63–95. Cambridge, England. *Gendrop, Paul 1998 ''Rio Bec, Chenes, and Puuc Styles in Maya Architecture''. Labyrinthos. 239 p., Culver City. * Merk, Stephan 2011 ''The Long Silence. Sabana Piletas and Its Neighbours: An Architectural Survey of Maya Ruins in Northeastern Campeche, México''. Markt Schwaben, Germany: Verlag Anton Saurwein. *Mills, Lawrence, (ed.) 1979 ''The Puuc: New Perspectives: Papers Presented at the Puuc Symposium, Central College, May, 1977''. Central College Press, Pella, IA. *Pollock, Harry E. D. 1980 ''Puuc: An Architectural Survey of the Hill Country of Yucatan and Northern Campeche, Mexico''. Harvard University, Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. Cambridge, MA. *Prem, Hanns J. (ed.) 1994 ''Hidden Among the Hills: Maya Archaeology of the Northwest Yucatan Península''. Hanns J. Prem, ed. pp. 247–288 Acta Mesoamericana, 7. Verlag von Flemming, Möckmühl. *Sabloff, Jeremy A. and Gair Tourtellot. 1991 ''Ancient Maya City of Sayil: The Mapping of a Puuc Region Center''. Publication, 60, Tulane University, Middle American Research Institute, New Orleans. *Tourtellot, Gair. 2001 "Puuc", in ''The Oxford Encyclopedia of Mesoamerican Cultures: The Civilizations of Mexico and Central America''. David Carrasco, ed. v. 3. pp. 42–43. Oxford University Press, Oxford, England. ==External links== *{{in lang|es}} [https://archive.today/20010726184710/http://www.yucatan.com.mx/especiales/rutapuuc/ From the online newspaper ''Diario de Yucatan''] *[http://www.mayaruins.com/ Photo tours of Maya sites, including several from the Puuc region.] *[http://www.famsi.org/reports/00019/index.html Academic report on the recent archaeological survey between the Puuc sites of Labna and Kiuic.] *[http://academic.reed.edu/uxmal/ Puuc web site at Reed College.] Over a thousand 19th – 21st century photographs of Puuc sites. {{Coord|20|8|33.82|N|89|24|31.92|W|type:adm1st|display=title}}{{Native american styles}} Category:Maya architecture Category:Hills of Mexico Category:Yucatán Peninsula Category:Geography of Campeche Category:Geography of Quintana Roo Category:Geography of Yucatán Category:Geography of Mesoamerica Category:History of the Yucatán Peninsula Category:Maya Classic Period Category:Architectural styles --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Puuc](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puuc) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puuc?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.