Mayan Sci-Fi City???

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Tonina: the so-called Mayan Sci-Fi City???


Tonina is about a two hour drive from either San Cristobal de las Casas or Palenque in the state of Chiapas.

The site is easy to locate, there are places to stop along the way for drinks and food, and part of the drive is through a cloud forest.

Tonina is situated in the middle of a functioning cattle ranch. When we arrived the ranchers drove cattle through the lot where we were parked.

The landscape here is very scenic, surrounded by valleys and mountains.

The site is one of the larger of the Mayan ruin sites; the main palace is simply enormous and the setting is beautiful.


Tonina was inhabited from circa 300 to 1000 Common Era.

The city competed with Palenque for control of trade between the Peten and the Gulf.

The competition between Tonina and Palenque eventually resulted in Tonina initiating a victorious attack against Palenque. A relief panel from Tonina is currently on display at the museum in Tuxtla Gutierrez which portrays the leader of Palenque as a humiliated captive.

Within many of the structures at Tonina were carved friezes of past rulers, anthropomorphic figures, and gods. Many of the friezes are symbolic of Xibalba, the Mayan underworld.

Nearly all of the structures at Tonina are accessible to the public. The ruins here consist of a ball court, a labyrinth, and a series of structures, most of which were built very close to one another and ascending upwards toward the main palace.


Unfortunately, the site museum was closed the day we visited Tonina so we were not able to see the sites collections, exhibits, and interpretations.


Tonina was worth the drive, although I have no idea why this site is referred to as the Mayan Sci-Fi city, perhaps the explanation can be found somewhere in the museum whenever it may be open.

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