Ucanha is a place in northern Yucatán, Mexico, where scientists dig up Mayan ruins. It used to be a town where Mayans lived. People lived in Ucanha during the Late Preclassic period (ca. 300 B.C. — ca. A.D. 250). It was about 2.2 square kilometers in size. There were about 400 households. It was connected to a larger town, Uci, by a wide stone causeway. Uci is 13 km to the west of Ucanha.[1]

A large brightly colored stucco mask was discovered in Ucanha in 2017. It is about two meters tall and was found in a building near the center of Ucanha. Although masks like this one have been found in other Maya sites, this is the only one known for this part of Mexico.[2] The mask has been repaired so it looks the way it did when it was new. The archaeologists buried the mask again to preserve it and because the site is not legally protected.[3]

References

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  1. Hutson, Scott R., and Jacob A. Welch. “SACRED LANDSCAPES AND BUILDING PRACTICES AT UCI, KANCAB, AND UCANHA, YUCATAN, MEXICO.” Ancient Mesoamerica, vol. 25, no. 2, 2014, pp. 421–439. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/26296615.
  2. Alejandra Alonso Olvera. "Proyecto de Estudio y Conservación del Mascarón de Estuco de la Estructura 92 del Sitio Arqueológico Ucanha".
  3. "Novedades Yucatán". January 15, 2021.