At only 22 kilometers distance from the city of Merida on the way to Progreso beaches, is located the archaeological site of Dzibilchaltun, a marvel identified as one of the most ancient Mayan Centers in the northern zone, its name comes from four Mayan words: dzib for "writing", il for "place", chal for "flat" and tun for "stone". Hence , "place with writing on flat stones". A Spanish colonial property deed specifically idenfifies this exact spot, proving that at least since 1689 it has been known by this name.
Dzibilchaltun was inhabited continuously from 500 years B.C. until the arrival of the Spaniards. Although its tourist attraction is concentrated in what is today its urban or ceremonial center, its territory covereded close to 17 square kilometers and was connected to other Mayan centers by stone roads called "sacbes".
According to hundreds of vestiges found in the area, Dzibilchaltun had more than 40 thousand inhabitants in its apogee and carried on, because of its proximity to the seacoast, intensive trade with products such as salt and fish.

Its principal source of water supply was the sinkhole X'lakah, which during the 1950's was explored by a group of scientific investigators headed by the archaelogist E. Willys Andrews, under the sponsorship of Tulane University. In the cenote's depths they found fossils and Mayan ceramic shards.
The Temple of the Seven Dolls is an outstanding relic to which the prestigious local archaelogist Victor Segovia assigned the purpose of ceremonial rites dedicated to the sun and the moon which were celebrated with devout masses in attendance. This investigator advances the theory that the governing class carried out ceremonies of light and shade to reinforce their supposed positions as intermediaries between the Sun God and the populace.

General information:
Visiting days: Monday through Sunday.
Visiting hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Services: Hostelry, washrooms, museum, parking, restaurant, watchmen. Visitors may snorkel or swimm the cenote if they wish to.

Source: INAH