List of Maya sites

This list of Maya sites is an alphabetical listing of a number of significant archaeological sites associated with the Maya civilization of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica.

Thumb — Map depicting the Maya area within the larger Mesoamerican region. View full size for details.

The peoples and cultures which comprised the Maya civilization spanned more than 2,500 years of Mesoamerican history, in the Maya Region of southern Mesoamerica, which incorporates the present-day nations of Guatemala and Belize, much of Honduras and El Salvador, and the southeastern states of Mexico from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec eastwards, including the entire Yucatán Peninsula.

Throughout this region, many hundreds of Maya sites^[1] have been documented in at least some form by archaeological surveys and investigations, while the numbers of smaller/uninvestigated (or unknown) sites are so numerous (one study has documented over 4,400 Maya sites)^[2] that no complete archaeological list has yet been made. The listing which appears here is necessarily incomplete, however it contains notable sites drawn from several large and ongoing surveys, such as the Corpus of Maya Hieroglyphic Inscriptions (CMHI) and other sources (see References).

Note : Ignore the Spanish definite article "El" or "La" (and their plurals "Los" and "Las") when looking for a site in the alphabetical listing e.g. for El Mirador, look under M rather than E.

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[2]

Site	Location	Description
Aguada Fénix	Tabasco, Mexico	Aguada Fenix is the oldest Mayan city discovered to date, since it was built in 1,000 BC. It was built with earth platforms, something unusual in Mayan architecture. Its main platform measures 3.8 million cubic meters and is the largest ancient monument in the world. Four offerings have been found, and a burial of an individual, and 21 ceremonial centers have been discovered, all facing north–south and in rectangular shape
El Baúl	Escuintla Department, Guatemala	El Baúl, along with the sites of Bilbao and El Castillo, forms the Cotzumalhuapa Nuclear Zone, a large urban area dating to the Late Classic period.
Becan	Campeche, Mexico	Becan was a major city in the Yucatán Peninsula. It was occupied from about 550 BC, in the Middle Preclassic period and was inhabited through the entire Classic Period, finally being abandoned around the 9th century AD. The site had contact with Teotihuacan in the Early Classic and was fortified with a moat and ramparts.^[3]
Bonampak	Chiapas, Mexico	Bonampak was a Maya state of the Classic Period in the Usumacinta basin, a complex political region where the city faced wars against other major Maya powers like Yaxchilán. The fame of Bonampak comes from the Temple of the Murals which hosts a complete room painted with unique mural paintings showing scenes of ceremony, war and human sacrifice.
Calakmul (Ox Te' Tuun; Chiik Naab')	Campeche, Mexico	Calakmul was one of the two most important Maya cities in the Classic Period, when its rivalry with Tikal dominated the Maya political landscape. The city was already an important city in the Late Preclassic, with dated monuments being erected up to the beginning of the 10th century AD.^[4]
Caracol	Cayo District, Belize	Caracol was an important lowland Maya city, it was already settled in the Late Preclassic but reached its maximum power in the Classic Period when it was first allied with Tikal and later with Calakmul. It played an important role in the downfall of Tikal in the Early Classic and underwent a dramatic expansion in the Late Classic.^[5]
El Ceibal (also known as Seibal)	Petén Department, Guatemala	Seibal was the largest Classic Period city in the Pasión River region, situated on bluffs overlooking the river. The city experienced a Late Preclassic apogee before declining in the Early Classic and falling under the domination of Dos Pilas in the Late Classic. It survived the collapse of that kingdom to become one of the last cities to survive in the area and was abandoned at the end of the Classic Period.^[6]
Chichen Itza (Uuc Yabnal)	Yucatán, Mexico	Chichen Itza was one of the largest Maya cities and was a major focal point in the northern Maya lowlands from the Late Classic through to the Early Postclassic period and that demonstrated a variety of Maya and non-Maya architectural styles.^[7]
Chunchucmil	Yucatán, Mexico	Chunchucmil was a large site that reached its apogee during the Late to Terminal Classic. The organisation of the city appears to have differed from that of other Maya sites and appears to have been geared towards a specialised coastal trade in salt.^[8]
Coba	Quintana Roo, Mexico	Coba is large site situated among five small lakes on a dry plain. The site is known for a network of 16 causeways linking it to neighbouring sites, the longest of which runs over 100 kilometres (62 mi) west to Yaxuna. The main phase of occupation of the city dates to the Late Classic through to the Early Postclassic, from about AD 700 to 1100.^[9]
Comalcalco (Joy Chan)	Tabasco, Mexico	Comalcalco is a city of the Classic period. It is the only Mayan city built with bricks made of clay and glued with stucco. Three tombs and 14 funerary burials have been found, of which 7 were inside ceramic urn, as well as a pantheon discovered on the outskirts of the city with 116 burials, unique in the Mayan culture.
Copán (Oxwitik)	Copán Department, Honduras	Copán was the capital city of a major Classic period kingdom from the 5th to 9th centuries AD, when it was closely allied with Tikal. The city was located in the extreme southeast of the Mesoamerican cultural region, on the frontier with the Isthmo-Colombian cultural region, and was almost surrounded by non-Maya peoples. The city is best known for its elaborate sculptural style.^[10]
Dos Pilas (Mutal)	Petén Department, Guatemala	Dos Pilas dates to the Late Classic Period, being founded by an offshoot of the Tikal dynasty in order to control trade routes in the Petexbatún region. It broke away from Tikal and became a vassal of Calakmul. It was a predator state from the beginning and the city gives an important glimpse into the great rivalries and political strife that characterised the Late Classic. Much of the history of Dos Pilas can now be reconstructed, with a level of detail that is almost unparalleled in the Maya area.^[11]
Dzibanche	Quintana Roo, Mexico	Dzibanche was a major Maya city in southern Quintana Roo with monumental structures and the first capital of the Kaan Dynasty, a powerful linage that conquered and dominated a large territory of the central Mayan lowlands during the Mesoamerican Classic period. The Kaan originated in Dzibanché and later moved their capital to Calakmul, but the city remained as a major power of the Kaan dynasty.
Dzibilchaltun (Ich Kaan Ti'Ho)	Yucatán, Mexico	Dzibilchaltun was a large and important city in the far north of the Yucatán Peninsula, with its principal architecture dating to the Classic Period, although activity at the site continued into the Late Postclassic when the city's main temple was already in ruins.^[12]
Iximche (Iximche)	Chimaltenango Department, Guatemala	Although short-lived, Iximche was the capital of the Kaqchikel highland kingdom at the time of the Spanish conquest of Guatemala and became the base of operations for the conquest of the highlands and Pacific coast until Spanish demands for tribute caused the Kaqchikels to break off their alliance and rebel. The Spanish then burned Iximche and moved their capital to nearby Tecpán Guatemala until frequent Kaqchikel raids forced them to move their colonial capital to what is now Ciudad Vieja near Antigua Guatemala.
Ixkun	Petén Department, Guatemala	Ixkun is a large site containing many unrestored mounds and ruins and is the best known archaeological site within the municipality of Dolores.^[13] It was the capital of one of the four largest kingdoms in the upper Mopan Valley.^[14] Stela 1 at Ixkun is one of the tallest stone monuments in the entire Petén Basin.^[15] Although the main period of activity was during the Late Classic Period, the site was occupied from the Late Preclassic right through to the Postclassic Period.
Kaminaljuyu (Kaminaljuyu)	Guatemala Department, Guatemala	Kaminaljuyu was founded in the Middle Preclassic and emerged as an important city in the Late Preclassic and dominated the entire Maya Highlands. It declined at the end of the Preclassic and was taken over by a new Maya group in the Early Classic with strong contacts with central Mexico. Occupation at Kaminaljuyu extended into the Late Classic.^[16]
Mayapan	Yucatán, Mexico	Mayapan was an important fortified city with a densely occupied area within the city walls. The principal pyramid at Mayapan was modelled after the main pyramid at Chichen Itza. The city was the most important site in Yucatán for a period of about 250 years during the Postclassic Period, with the earliest structures dating to the 12th century AD.^[17]
El Mirador	Petén Department, Guatemala	El Mirador was an enormous Late Preclassic city although construction apparently began in the Middle Preclassic and some level of occupation continued into the Classic Period. The city included some very large triadic pyramids and covered an area similar to that of Classic Period Tikal.^[18]
Moral Reforma	Tabasco, Mexico	Moral Reforma was an important river port that controlled commercial traffic on the San Pedro Mártir River between El Petén and the Gulf of Mexico coast. Because of this, it was highly coveted and fought wars with Calakmul, Tikal, Palenque and Piedras Negras, by whom it was dominated at different times. It had a long occupation, since the year 300 BC. C. until its abandonment in the year 1000 d. C.
Naachtun (Masuul)	Petén Department, Guatemala	Naachtun is situated in the extreme north of Petén, in a central location between Tikal and Calakmul, the two great Classic Period Maya powers, both of which constantly influenced its politics. The hieroglyphic texts from the site cover almost the whole Classic Period from 504 to 761 AD, although the site inhabited since the Preclassic.^[19]
Nakbe	Petén Department, Guatemala	Nakbe was an important city in the Middle Preclassic, with its principal phase of occupation lasting from about 1000 BC to 400 BC. The city is linked to neighbouring El Mirador by a Late Preclassic causeway. Nakbe appears to possess the earliest examples of Maya masonry architecture and of sacbe causeways.^[20]
Naranjo (Wak Kab'nal)	Petén Department, Guatemala	Naranjo was the capital of a kingdom from the Early Classic through to the Late Classic and formed an important link in the trade routes running from the great city of Tikal to the Caribbean Sea. The earliest dated monuments at the site date to the late 5th century AD. The city became a vassal of Tikal's great rival Calakmul and was involved in a series of devastating wars.^[21]
Oxkintok	Yucatán, Mexico	Oxkintok was one of the first Maya states to develop in the northern lowlands, undergoing a process of rapid development in the Early Classic Period that gave rise to an important capital with inscribed stone monuments. The earliest dated monument dates to the late 5th century AD.^[22]
Palenque (Lakamha')	Chiapas, Mexico	Palenque is located in the foothills of the Chiapas highlands. The city became dominant over the western Maya lowlands during the Late Classic, and engaged in hostilities with its neighbour Toniná that eventually eclipsed it. Hieroglyphic inscriptions at Palenque document a dynastic sequence stretching from the 5th century AD through to the end of the 8th century. The site is best known for the Temple of the Inscriptions, the mortuary shrine containing the tomb of king Kʼinich Janaabʼ Pakal.^[23]
El Peru (Waka')	Petén Department, Guatemala	El Perú was a major Classic Period ally of Calakmul in its wars against Tikal.^[24]
Piedras Negras (Yo'k'ib')	Petén Department, Guatemala	Piedras Negras was the largest city in the region of the Usumacinta River and is known for its excellent quality Late Classic sculpted monuments. These well preserved inscriptions provided the first evidence that Maya texts described historical events. The site has a continuous series of texts running from the 7th century AD through to the 9th century.^[25]
Quiriguá	Izabal Department, Guatemala	Quiriguá is a relatively small site that was founded by Tikal in the Early Classic in order to control the Motagua River trade route, important for the transport of jade and obsidian. Originally a vassal of Copán, the city rebelled and allied itself with Calakmul, after which it erected elaborate monuments in a style similar to that of its former overlord.^[26]
Qʼumarkaj	Quiché Department, Guatemala	Qʼumarkaj (also known as Utatlán) was the Postclassic capital of the Kʼicheʼ Kingdom of Qʼumarkaj at the time of the Spanish Conquest and was one of the most powerful Maya cities at that time, dominating the Guatemalan Highlands.^[27]
San Bartolo	Petén Department, Guatemala	San Bartolo is a remote site in the Guatemalan rainforest and was only discovered in 2001. Most of the structures at the site date to the Late Preclassic and overlie older Middle Preclassic architecture, although the city was reoccupied in the Late Classic. San Bartolo possesses one of the most important Preclassic murals yet found.^[28]
Tikal (Yax Mutal)	Petén Department, Guatemala	Tikal was founded in the Late Preclassic but reached its greatest power in the Late Classic, when most of its great temples were constructed. The site was one of the most powerful kingdoms in Maya history and possesses a dynastic chronology that extends from about AD 100 through to the 9th century. A long-running rivalry between Tikal and Calakmul began in the 6th century, with each of the two cities forming its own network of mutually hostile alliances arrayed against each other in what has been likened to a long-running war between two Maya superpowers.^[29]
Toniná	Chiapas, Mexico	Toniná was a major Maya power during the Classic period located in the far regions between the Lowlands and the Highlands where it developed as a huge city-state with a major political and military power, facing wars and victories against other Maya sites, it also had the control of a large commercial route along the Maya region to the Gulf of Mexico. The great pyramid of Toniná with over 75 meters stands as the tallest Maya building and one of the tallest ancient pyramids of the world.^[30]
Tulum (Zama?)	Quintana Roo, Mexico	Tulum is a Late Postclassic site situated on cliffs overlooking the Caribbean Sea and was probably occupied at the time of the Spanish Conquest. It is a small site with architecture in a style similar to that at the bigger cities of Chichen Itza and Mayapan. The site was probably founded to expand the coastal trade routes of the Yucatán Peninsula.^[31]
Uxmal	Yucatán, Mexico	Uxmal was an important capital in the western Yucatán region, demonstrating architecture in the Puuc Maya style. The site reached its apogee in the Late to Terminal Classic from about AD 800–1000 and appears to have declined at the beginning of the Postclassic Period, although the exact length of occupation of the city is unknown.^[32]
Yaxchilan (Pa' Chan)	Chiapas, Mexico	In the Late Classic Period Yaxchilan was one of the most powerful Maya cities along the course of the Usumacinta, with Piedras Negras as its major rival.^[33] Architectural styles in subordinate sites in the Usumacinta region demonstrate clear differences that mark a clear boundary between the two kingdoms.^[33] Yaxchilan was a large center, important throughout the Classic era, and the dominant power of the Usumacinta River area. It dominated such smaller sites as Bonampak.^[34] The site is particularly known for its well-preserved sculptured stone lintels set above the doorways of the main structures.^[35]
Yaxha (Yaxha)	Petén Department, Guatemala	Yaxha was a large city located upon the north shore of the lake of the same name. The city reached its maximum power in the Early Classic, when it was one of the largest capital cities in the Maya region; it was apparently allied with Tikal at that time. By the Late Classic its power had waned, perhaps linked to defeat by Calakmul or its allies.^[36]

Site	Location	Photo
Abaj Takalik (see Takalik Abaj)	Retalhuleu Department, Guatemala^[37]
Acanceh	Yucatán, Mexico^[38]
Acanmul	Campeche, Mexico^[39]
Actun Tunichil Muknal	Cayo District, Belize^[40]
Actuncan	Cayo District, Belize^[41]
El Aguacate	Petén Department, Guatemala^[42]
Aguas Calientes	Petén Department, Guatemala^[43]
Aguateca	Petén Department, Guatemala^[44]
Ake	Yucatán, Mexico^[38]
Akte	Petén Department, Guatemala^[45]
Almuchil	Campeche, Mexico^[46]
Altar de los Reyes	Campeche, Mexico^[47]
Altar de Sacrificios	Petén Department, Guatemala^[48]
Altun Ha	Belize District, Belize
La Amelia	Petén Department, Guatemala^[49]
El Amparo	Chiapas, Mexico
Anayteʼ	Chiapas, Mexico
Anonal	Petén Department, Guatemala^[50]
Arroyo de Piedra	Petén Department, Guatemala^[51]

Site	Location	Photo
Baking Pot	Cayo District, Belize
Bakna	Campeche, Mexico
Balakbal	Campeche, Mexico
Balberta	Escuintla Department, Guatemala^[52]
Balamku	Campeche, Mexico^[38]
Balamtun	Petén Department, Guatemala
Balankanche	Yucatán, Mexico^[38]
El Baúl	Escuintla Department, Guatemala^[53]
Becan	Campeche, Mexico^[38]
Bejucal	Petén Department, Guatemala^[54]
Bellote	Tabasco, Mexico
Blackman Eddy	Cayo District, Belize
La Blanca, Peten	Petén Department, Guatemala^[55]
Bolonchen	Campeche, Mexico
Bolonkin	Chiapas, Mexico^[38]
Bonampak	Chiapas, Mexico^[38]
Budsilha	Chiapas, Mexico
Buena Vista	Petén Department, Guatemala^[56]

Site	Location	Photo
Cahal Pech	Cayo District, Belize
Calakmul	Campeche, Mexico^[38]
Campeche	Campeche, Mexico
Canancax	Chiapas, Mexico
Cancuen	Petén Department, Guatemala^[57]
Candzibaantun	Campeche, Mexico
Cansacbe	Campeche, Mexico
Caracol	Cayo District, Belize
El Caribe	Petén Department, Guatemala^[58]
Casa Blanca	Santa Ana Department, El Salvador^[59]
El Cayo	Chiapas, Mexico
Cenotillo	Yucatán, Mexico
Los Cerritos-Chijoj	Quiché Department, Guatemala^[60]
Cerro Quiac	Quetzaltenango Department, Guatemala^[61]
Cerros	Corozal District, Belize
Chac II	Yucatán, Mexico
Chacchoben	Quintana Roo, Mexico^[38]
Chacmultun	Yucatán, Mexico^[38]
Chactún	Campeche, Mexico
Chakalal	Quintana Roo, Mexico
Chakanbakan	Quintana Roo, Mexico^[62]
Chakjobon	Campeche, Mexico
Chakokot	Petén Department, Guatemala^[63]
El Chal	Petén Department, Guatemala^[64]
Chamax	Quintana Roo, Mexico
Chancala	Chiapas, Mexico
Chapayal	Petén Department, Guatemala^[65]
Cheyokolnah	Campeche, Mexico^[38]
Chiapa de Corzo	Chiapas, Mexico^[66]
Chicanna	Campeche, Mexico^[38]
Chicaanticaanal	Campeche, Mexico^[38]
Chichen Itza	Yucatán, Mexico^[38]
Chichmul	Yucatán, Mexico
El Chicozapote	Petén Department, Guatemala
Chinaha
Chinikiha	Chiapas, Mexico
Chinkultic	Chiapas, Mexico^[38]
Chitinamit	Quiché Department, Guatemala^[67]
Chocolá	Suchitepéquez Department, Guatemala^[68]
Chojolom	Quetzaltenango Department, Guatemala
El Chorro	Petén Department, Guatemala^[69]
Chuctiepa	Chiapas, Mexico
Chunchucmil	Yucatán, Mexico
Chunhuhub	Campeche, Mexico^[38]
Chunhuitz	Petén Department, Guatemala
Chunlimon	Campeche, Mexico
Chutixtiox	Quiché Department, Guatemala^[70]
Cihuatán	San Salvador Department, El Salvador^[71]
Cival	Petén Department, Guatemala
Civiltuk
Coba	Quintana Roo, Mexico^[38]
Comitán	Chiapas, Mexico
Consacbe
Copán	Copán Department, Honduras
La Corona (The enigmatic "Site Q")	Petén Department, Guatemala
Corozal	Corozal District, Belize
Cozumel	Quintana Roo, Mexico
Cuca	Yucatán, Mexico
Cuello	Orange Walk District, Belize

Site	Location	Photo
Dos Pilas	Petén Department, Guatemala^[72]
Dzehkabtun	Campeche, Mexico
Dzekilna	Yucatán, Mexico
Dzibanche	Quintana Roo, Mexico^[73]
Dzibilchaltun	Yucatán, Mexico^[38]
Dzibilnocac	Campeche, Mexico^[38]
Dzibiltun	Campeche, Mexico
Dzilam	Yucatán, Mexico
Dzitbalché	Campeche, Mexico
Dzula	Quintana Roo, Mexico

List of Maya sites

Most important sites

Alphabetical listing

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

See also

Notes

External links

References

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