Xamanzamá / Xelha
Xamanzamá is one of three primary locations in my book, Gods of Rain and Blood. Its name derives from two Maya words, xaman, “north,” and zamá, dawn, and it means north of the dawn. Xamanzamá is speculated to have been an early name for Tzamá/Tulum. It may also have referred to the nearby Maya site of Tankah or possibly another Maya community farther to the north.In Gods of Rain and Blood, I decided to style Xamanzamá as a city modeled after the archeological site of Xelha. Xelha, whose name means “Entrance of Water” in Yucatec Maya, sits about nine miles north of Tulum and fit my imagination to a tee. The site has a long settlement history that stretches from about 300 BC to about AD 1550. During the later period of its occupation, Xelha underwent a renaissance evidenced by numerous new structures. Many of these exemplified the style of its nearby neighbor Tulum. Other influences were from Teotihuacan in central Mexico and can be seen in unusually elevated stone platforms and other architectural elements across the city. Original murals, which have withstood the ravages of time, are still visible at Xelha. Significantly, one of these is an image of Tláloc, a deity from central Mexico who is equivalent to the Maya rain god, Chaac. In Gods of Rain and Blood, Tláloc is the patron god of my nefarious priest, Ah K’in Cutz.
The archeological site of Xelha consists of four main groups of structures, of which two are open to the public. You can also explore a lovely cenote and an ancient sacbe, a raised Maya white stone road, which leads through the jungle from one group of structures to another. Xelha is a terrific, seldom-visited, site just across the highway from the better-known tourist destination of the same name. If you are ever in the vicinity, be sure to make the Xelha archeological site one of your must-see stops. You won’t be disappointed!
