📷 Los Muertos Crew · Pexels

Where in the world

Mexico

Yaxchilan

Maya · Mexico

Field notes

civilizations: Maya
types: City · Temple · Palace · Ballcourt
built: 450 CE — 810 CE
occupied: 250 CE — 900 CE
country: Mexico

The site

Yaxchilan is an ancient Maya city on the bank of the Usumacinta River in Chiapas, Mexico. In the Late Classic period it was one of the most powerful Maya states along the river, dominating smaller sites like Bonampak and locked in long rivalry with Piedras Negras and Palenque. It is especially known for the well-preserved sculptured stone lintels above its doorways, whose hieroglyphic texts record the dynastic history of the city.

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