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.
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 sitesThe CMHI enumeration of sites with inscriptions and/or Maya artworks, as modified and revised by Riese (2004) lists over 430 sites. 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)Witschey and Brown (2005) 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. __TOC__
Most important sites Maya sites which are known to have been among the largest and most influential polities through the various eras of Maya history —Formative (or Preclassic), Classic and Postclassic— and/or which have left the most impressive archaeological remains include: Site Location Description PhotoAguada FénixTabasco, MexicoAguada 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 shapeEl BaúlEscuintla Department, GuatemalaEl 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.BecanCampeche, MexicoBecan 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.Sharer & Traxler 2006, pp.372-373.BonampakChiapas, MexicoBonampak 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()Campeche, MexicoCalakmul 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.Sharer & Traxler 2006, pp.356-361.CaracolCayo District, BelizeCaracol 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.Sharer & Traxler 2006, p.364.El Ceibal (also known as Seibal)Petén Department, GuatemalaSeibal 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.Sharer & Traxler 2006, p.520.Chichen Itza()Yucatán, MexicoChichen 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.Sharer & Traxler 2006, pp.562-566.ChunchucmilYucatán, MexicoChunchucmil 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.Sharer & Traxler 2006, pp.548-549.CobaQuintana Roo, MexicoCoba 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 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.Sharer & Traxler 2006, p.556.Comalcalco()Tabasco, MexicoComalcalco 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()Copán Department, HondurasCopán 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.Sharer & Traxler 2006, pp.333-341.Dos Pilas()Petén Department, GuatemalaDos 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.Sharer & Traxler 2006, pp.383-387. Martin & Grube 2000, p.55.DzibancheQuintana Roo, MexicoDzibanche 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