Edzna: Ancient Maya City With Sophisticated Underground System Of Canals To Control Unpredictable Floods

A. Sutherland  - AncientPages.com - Edzná is an ancient place populated in 400 BC and abandoned c. 1500 AD.  It is a Maya archaeological site in the north of the Mexican state of Campeche. Much of what is known about Edzná and its historical chronology originates from the engravings on the discovered stelae.

However, it is not enough to uncover all the secrets of this ancient site; therefore, the decline and eventual abandonment of Edzná remains a mystery.

The Great Acropolis, with the Building of the Five Floors.  Image credit: Ralf Roletschek - GFDL 1.2

The place's name comes from an old Mayan-Yucatec word, likely referring to the "Itzáes," an ethnic group in Guatemala associated with the Maya. So, one can say that in this case, Edzna's name would mean "House of the Itzáes."

Another possibility is that Edzna means "House of the Echo," since a specific acoustic phenomenon occurs between certain main buildings on the site.

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See also: 

Tikal Of Maya: Sophisticated Culture That Experienced Humble Start, Golden Age, Wars And Decline

Sophisticated Pre-Columbian Gran Coclé Culture Reveals Its Ancient Secrets

Dzibilchaltún: One Of The Most Ancient Mayan Centers In Northwest Yucatan, Mexico

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