Toniná
Tonina (or Toniná in Spanish orthography) is a pre-Columbian archaeological site and ruined city of the Maya civilization located in what is now the Mexican state of Chiapas, some 13 km (8.1 mi) east of the town of Ocosingo.
The site is medium to large, with groups of temple-pyramids set on terraces rising some 71 metres (233 ft) above a plaza,[1] a large court for playing the Mesoamerican ballgame, and over 100 carved monuments, most dating from the 6th century through the 9th centuries AD, during the Classic period. Toniná is distinguished by its well preserved stucco sculptures and particularly by its in-the-round carved monuments, produced to an extent not seen in Mesoamerica since the end of the much earlier Olmec civilization.[2] Toniná possesses one of the largest pyramids in Mexico; at 74 metres (243 ft) in height, it is taller than the Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan.[3]
Toniná was an aggressive state in the Late Classic, using warfare to develop a powerful kingdom.[4] For much of its history, Toniná was engaged in sporadic warfare with Palenque, its greatest rival and one of the most important polities in the west of the Maya region, although Toniná eventually became the dominant city in the west.[5]
The city is notable for having the last known Long Count date on any Maya monument, marking the end of the Classic Maya period in AD 909.[6]
Toniná means house of stone in the Tzeltal language of the local Maya inhabitants, an alternative interpretation is the place where stone sculptures are raised to honour time.[7] However, this is a modern name and the original name was either Po or Popo, appearing in Classic Maya texts in the title used for the kings of Toniná, k'uhul po' ajaw (Divine Lord of Po).[8] A Maya rebellion in Colonial times, in 1558, featured a group called the po' winikob' (People of Po).[8] Early versions of the Toniná emblem glyph bore a doubled po glyph and the term Popo is also found in Colonial records.[8] Since double sounds were often abbreviated in hieroglyphic texts, Popo may represent the original name of the city.[8]
Toniná is located at an altitude of 800 to 900 metres (2,600 to 3,000 ft) above mean sea level in the Chiapas highlands of southern Mexico, some 40 miles (64 km) south of the contemporary Maya city of Palenque, Toniná's greatest rival throughout its recorded history.[9] Toniná is separated from Palenque by mountainous terrain and the site core is located along an easily defended ascending limestone ridge immediately to the west of a seasonal tributary of the Río Jataté, one of the two rivers forming the Ocosingo Valley.[10]
