K'utzmil
 The Ix Chel Nah, often considered to be the White Path holiest place | |
| Etymology | island of swallows |
|---|---|
| Geography | |
| Area | 224 km2 (86 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 30 m (100 ft) |
| Administration | |
| Yajawil | Ekab |
| Kuchkabal | K'utzmil |
| Capital and largest | Tanuh (pop. 30,000) |
| Demographics | |
| Demonym | K'utzul |
| Population | 45,000 (2019) |
| Pop. density | 200 /km2 (500 /sq mi) |
| Ethnic groups | Xu people |
K'utzmil is an island and Kuchkabal within the Yajawil of Ekab, Mutul. It is located within the Bay of Ekab and is close to the main urban centers of the Province, mainly Ekab, Labka, Ynaj...
The island is famous worldwide for its temple-complex, centered around the K'utz Ix Chel Nah, the "House of Lady Chel of the Colibris". The temple has been considered by White Pilgrims to be the most important pilgrimage destination of their faith, and so since at least the 12th century. The holy site receive more than 10 million visitors each year. After a period of unchecked real estate speculation in the 80s and 90s which led to the apparition of many gigantic hostels meant to lodge the pilgrims, but corruption scandals led to the island' Clergy to lobby extensively against further constructions. As a result, hostels and infrastructures for pilgrims sprang up all around the Bay of Ekab. Today, the island' economy remain centered around religious tourism.
Etymology
In Mutli, the glyphic name of the island is read as K'uzam lumil, "Earth/Land of the Swallows". Because of anApocope sometime between the second and fifth century AD, alongside other phonetical modifications, the name became in Xut'an Kuzamil sometime during the early Ilok'tab Dynasty and henceforth further changed into its current form.
Geography
The island is located within the Bay of Ekab, at the northernmost tip of the Mutul. It can be described as a 224 square kilometers slab of limestone which, if not for anthropic changes, would be covered in mangrove. It still present a karst topography with many cenotes and underground rivers. Most of these cenotes are inaccessible to the public outside of religious events, with temples and shrines sometime built on top of them (the Ix Chel Nah being the most famous case).
Climate
K'utzmil has Tropical savanna climate under the Köppen climate classification that closely borders on a tropical monsoon climate. The dry season is short but even there precipitation are observed. The wet season is lengthy, covering most of the months, with September and October being the wettest months, when precipitation averages over 240 millimeters and with occasional thunderstorms. Temperatures tend to remain stable with little variation from month to month though the temperatures are cooler from December to February with the coolest month averaging 22 °C. Owing to its proximity to the sea, the island is fairly humid.