Ake

Ake (or Aké in Spanish orthography) is an archaeological site of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization, located in the municipality of Tixkokob, in the Mexican state of Yucatán; 40 km (25 mi) east of Mérida, Yucatán.

The name Ake is a toponym that means "place of reeds" in Yucatec Maya. One notable feature of the site is its system of pre-Columbian sacbeo'ob or roads that facilitate access with other settlements in the region.

The architecture dates from the Early Classic era (A.D. 250-550). They were first described in print by John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood in the early 1840s.

Aké is bounded by two concentric walls, one defines the core of the settlement with an area of 4 km², while the other protects the core housing. The core is a large and square in shape surrounded by tall buildings measuring about 25 m². Structure One, also called the palace, with rows of stone columns atop a step-pyramid platform; is the site's most impressive feature. While most Maya pyramids are built steep with many narrow steps, Structure One is a gradual climb of huge, flat stone slabs. This megalithic architectural style is an Early Classic diagnostic, and may also bee seen at the sites of Izamal and Ek Balam. The remains of an ancient Maya raised pedestrian causeway, or sacbe, runs to Aké from Izamal. The ruins are all within a 19th-century Hacienda henequenera.

Delaware

Delaware (ⁱ/ˈdɛləwɛər/) is one of the Mid-Atlantic states located in the Northeast megalopolis region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, to the northeast by New Jersey, and to the north by Pennsylvania. The state takes its name from Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, an English nobleman and Virginia's first colonial governor, after whom what is now called Cape Henlopen was originally named.

Delaware is in the northeastern portion of the Delmarva Peninsula and is the second smallest, the sixth least populous, but the sixth most densely populated of the 50 United States. Delaware is divided into three counties, the lowest number of counties of any state. From north to south, the three counties are New Castle, Kent, and Sussex. While the southern two counties have historically been predominantly agricultural, New Castle County has been more industrialized.

Before its coastline was explored by Europeans in the 16th century, Delaware was inhabited by several groups of Native Americans, including the Lenape in the north and Nanticoke in the south. It was initially colonized by Dutch traders at Zwaanendael, near the present town of Lewes, in 1631. Delaware was one of the 13 colonies participating in the American Revolution and on December 7, 1787, became the first state to ratify the Constitution of the United States, thereby becoming known as The First State.