Masculinidad, ritualidad y actividades lúdicas en una estructura columnada del Clásico Terminal

Excavation and archaeological analysis of a patio-gallery structure located at the east side of the main plaza of Chichén Itzá have provided evidence about men´s ritual activities and social identities during Terminal Classic period (900-1100 AD). Masculinity and gender, as analytical categories, have promoted a reevaluation of the different roles and identities that male actors played in complex past societies. In structure 2D6 at Chichén Itzá, we found material evidence of a variety of activities ranging from the ritual performance through remains of ludic spaces within the structure that could be related with an ideology of prehispanic maya manhood. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to discuss the implications of the cultural construction of masculine gender, the presence of exclusive men places, and the practice of specific ritual activities with a sense of social identity in the ancient maya city of Chichén Itzá, Yucatan.