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Petén (department)
Encyclopedia
Petén is a department
of the nation of Guatemala
. It is geographically the northernmost department of Guatemala, as well as the largest in size — at 12960 square miles (33,566.2 km²) it accounts for about one third of Guatemala's area. The capital is Flores. The population in 2005 was estimated at 450,000.
and by Mexico
on the north and west, with the Mexican state of Chiapas
to the west, Tabasco
to the northwest and Campeche
to the north. To the south it borders the Guatemalan departments of Alta Verapaz
and Izabal. Much of the western border with Mexico is formed by the Usumacinta River
and its tributary
the Salinas River
. Portions of the southern border of the department are formed by the rivers Gracias a Dios and Santa Isabel.
The main bodies of standing water in the department are the lakes Petén Itzá
, Peténchel, Quexil, Salpetén and Macanche in the centre of the department; Yaxhá
and Sacnab in the east, Petexbatún
in the southwest, and Perdida , Larga, La Gloria, San Diego, Mendoza, El Repasto and Lacandón in the west.
and Maya civilization
.
The Petén department was created by decree of the Guatemalan government on 8 May 1866.
Starting in the 1960s the Guatemalan government offered land in Petén to any citizen willing to settle on it and pay a fee of $25. A road was opened up to Flores, although it was unpaved, and the notorious bus trip to Flores was known to take up to 24 hours to travel the 300 miles (500 km). Small airports were built at Flores and Tikal, bringing tourists
to the region. In the early 1970s a road was opened from Tikal to Belize
. The first paved road in Petén was built in 1982.
Since the 1990s many new settlers have come to Petén. The area is also experiencing severe deforestation
in its southern half. Deforestation has been particularly rapid near Laguna del Tigre National Park in western Petén. To combat deforestation, Guatemalan president Álvaro Colom
has proposed dramatically expanding ecotourism around Maya archaeological sites, especially El Mirador
, and trying to further develop an agricultural system in the southern portion of the Maya Biosphere Reserve
that will prevent further northward migration. He calls his plan "Cuatro Balam
".
The Mundo Maya International Airport
, in Santa Elena
, is the second largest in Guatemala.
, many of which have only received minimal attention by archaeologists.
Those sites with some level of restoration include: Tikal
, Uaxactún
, Aguateca
, Seibal
, Yaxha
, Nakum
, Topoxte
, San Clemente and La Blanca
.
Other archaeological sites include: Altar de Sacrificios
, La Amelia
, Arroyo de Piedra
, Bejucal
, Cancuén
, El Caribe, El Chal
, Cival
, La Corona
, Dos Pilas
, Holmul
, Holtun
, Itzan
, Ixkun
, Ixlu
, Ixtonton
, Ixtutz
, La Joyanca
, Kinal
, Machaquila
, El Mirador
, Motul de San José
, La Muerta
, Muralla de León, Naachtun
, Nakbe
, Naranjo
, El Peru, Piedras Negras
, Polol, El Porvenir
, Punta de Chimino
, Río Azul
, Sacul
, San Bartolo
, La Sufricaya
, Tamarindito
, Tayasal
, El Tintal
, Tres Islas
, Ucanal
, Xultun
, Zacpeten
, Zapote Bobal
and El Zotz
.
Departments of Guatemala
||Guatemala is divided into 22 departments :#Alta Verapaz#Baja Verapaz#Chimaltenango#Chiquimula#Petén#El Progreso#El Quiché#Escuintla#Guatemala#Huehuetenango#Izabal#Jalapa#Jutiapa#Quetzaltenango#Retalhuleu#Sacatepéquez...
of the nation of Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
. It is geographically the northernmost department of Guatemala, as well as the largest in size — at 12960 square miles (33,566.2 km²) it accounts for about one third of Guatemala's area. The capital is Flores. The population in 2005 was estimated at 450,000.
Geography
The Petén department is bordered on the east by BelizeBelize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
and by Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
on the north and west, with the Mexican state of Chiapas
Chiapas
Chiapas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas is one of the 31 states that, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 118 municipalities and its capital city is Tuxtla Gutierrez. Other important cites in Chiapas include San Cristóbal de las...
to the west, Tabasco
Tabasco
Tabasco officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tabasco is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 17 municipalities and its capital city is Villahermosa....
to the northwest and Campeche
Campeche
Campeche is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Located in Southeast Mexico, it is bordered by the states of Yucatán to the north east, Quintana Roo to the east, and Tabasco to the south west...
to the north. To the south it borders the Guatemalan departments of Alta Verapaz
Alta Verapaz
Alta Verapaz is a department in the north central part of Guatemala. The capital and chief city of the department is Cobán. Verapaz is bordered to the north by El Petén, to the east by Izabal, to the south by Zacapa, El Progreso, and Baja Verapaz, and to the west by El Quiché.Also in Alta Verapaz...
and Izabal. Much of the western border with Mexico is formed by the Usumacinta River
Usumacinta River
The Usumacinta River is a river in southeastern Mexico and northwestern Guatemala. It is formed by the junction of the Pasión River, which arises in the Sierra de Santa Cruz and the Salinas River, also known as the Chixoy, or the Negro, which descends from the Sierra Madre de Guatemala...
and its tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
the Salinas River
Salinas River (Guatemala)
The Salinas is a river in Guatemala. The river is called Chixoy River from its sources in the highlands of Huehuetenango and El Quiché until it reaches the Chixoy hydroelectric dam , where the Río Salama and Rio Carchela converge with the Río Negro...
. Portions of the southern border of the department are formed by the rivers Gracias a Dios and Santa Isabel.
The main bodies of standing water in the department are the lakes Petén Itzá
Lake Petén Itzá
Lake Petén Itzá is a lake in the northern department Petén in Guatemala. It is the second largest lake in Guatemala, the Izabal lake being the largest. It is located around . It has an area of 99 km² some 32 km. long and 5 km wide. Its maximum depth is 160 m...
, Peténchel, Quexil, Salpetén and Macanche in the centre of the department; Yaxhá
Laguna Yaxhá
Laguna Yaxhá is a Guatemalan lake situated in the northern department of El Petén.The ancient Maya City of Yaxhá was built on the shores of Laguna Yaxhá, and the Maya ruins of Topoxté occupy a group of small islands at the western end of the lake....
and Sacnab in the east, Petexbatún
Petexbatún
Petexbatún is a small lake formed by a river of the same name, which is a tributary of the La Pasion river. It is near Sayaxché, located in the southern area of the Guatemalan department of Petén....
in the southwest, and Perdida , Larga, La Gloria, San Diego, Mendoza, El Repasto and Lacandón in the west.
History
For the early history of the region, see Petén BasinPetén Basin
The Petén Basin is a geographical subregion of Mesoamerica, located in the northern portion of the modern-day nation of Guatemala, and essentially contained within the department of El Petén...
and Maya civilization
Maya civilization
The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period The Maya is a Mesoamerican...
.
The Petén department was created by decree of the Guatemalan government on 8 May 1866.
Starting in the 1960s the Guatemalan government offered land in Petén to any citizen willing to settle on it and pay a fee of $25. A road was opened up to Flores, although it was unpaved, and the notorious bus trip to Flores was known to take up to 24 hours to travel the 300 miles (500 km). Small airports were built at Flores and Tikal, bringing tourists
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
to the region. In the early 1970s a road was opened from Tikal to Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
. The first paved road in Petén was built in 1982.
Since the 1990s many new settlers have come to Petén. The area is also experiencing severe deforestation
Deforestation
Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....
in its southern half. Deforestation has been particularly rapid near Laguna del Tigre National Park in western Petén. To combat deforestation, Guatemalan president Álvaro Colom
Álvaro Colom
Álvaro Colom Caballeros is the President of Guatemala for the 2008–2012 term and leader of the social-democratic National Unity of Hope .-Early years:...
has proposed dramatically expanding ecotourism around Maya archaeological sites, especially El Mirador
El Mirador
El Mirador is a large pre-Columbian Mayan settlement, located in the north of the modern department of El Petén, Guatemala.-Discovery:El Mirador was first discovered in 1926, and was photographed from the air in 1930, but the remote site deep in the jungle had little more attention paid to it until...
, and trying to further develop an agricultural system in the southern portion of the Maya Biosphere Reserve
Maya Biosphere Reserve
The Maya Biosphere Reserve is a nature reserve in Guatemala managed by Guatemala's National Council of Protected Areas...
that will prevent further northward migration. He calls his plan "Cuatro Balam
Cuatro Balam
Cuatro Balam is an initiative by the government of Guatemala to dramatically increase tourism in the Maya Biosphere Reserve, focusing on the region's numerous archeological sites. The Reserve is a protected area of 21,602 km² in Guatemala's northernmost Petén Department...
".
The Mundo Maya International Airport
Mundo Maya International Airport
Mundo Maya International Airport , also known as Flores International Airport, is an international airport located in the suburb of Santa Elena, in the city of Flores, Guatemala...
, in Santa Elena
Santa Elena, El Petén
Santa Elena is located on the shores of Lake Petén Itzá in the Petén department of Guatemala. It is connected by a causeway to its sister town of Flores and the two are often referred to as just Flores. It is the location for Flores International Airport, which is located just outside the...
, is the second largest in Guatemala.
Municipalities
Petén consists of the following municipalities, listed with their population in 2000:- DoloresDolores, El PeténDolores is a municipality in the El Petén department of Guatemala. It contains 26,269 people. The municipality includes the Maya archaeological sites of Ixkun, Ixtutz, Ixtonton and El Chal. The town is home to the Museo Regional del Sureste de Petén....
– 26,269 - FloresFlores, El PeténFlores is the capital city of Petén department of Guatemala. It is located at . The population is 13,700 .Flores serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding municipality, with which it shares a name ....
– 22,594 - La LibertadLa Libertad, El PeténLa Libertad is a municipality in the El Petén department of Guatemala. It contains 79,416 people...
– 79,416 - Melchor de MencosMelchor de MencosMelchor de Mencos is a municipality in the Petén department of Guatemala with population 23,813. It is situated on the western border with Belize,a and is the only major border crossing from Guatemala to Belize....
– 23,813 - PoptúnPoptúnPoptún is a municipality in the El Petén department of Guatemala. It contains 30,386 people. It is some 385 km from Guatemala City.Since 1989, Military Zone 23 in Poptún has been the home of the Guatemalan Army's élite Kaibiles special operations force....
– 30,386 - San AndrésSan Andrés, El PeténSan Andrés is a municipality in the department of El Petén in Guatemala. The municipality is formed by the town of San Andrés, located on the north-western shore of Lake Petén Itzá, and 55 rural communities, with a total population of 20,295 people .The municipality was created in 1962 and has a...
– 15,103 - San BenitoSan Benito, El PeténSan Benito is a municipality in the El Petén department of Guatemala. It contains 23,752 people.It is located adjacent to departmental capital Flores.-Sports:...
– 23,752 - San FranciscoSan Francisco, El PeténSan Francisco is a municipality in the El Petén department of Guatemala. The municipality has a population of 8,066 people.The San Francisco municipal government is led by alcalde Simon Vinicio Penados Gomez, of the National Unity of Hope...
– 8,066 - San JoséSan José, El PeténSan José is a municipality in the El Petén department of Guatemala. It contains 3,602 people. It lies on the north shore of Lake Petén Itzá and is located a few kilometers from the Classic Period Maya ruin of Motul de San José...
– 3,602 - San LuisSan Luis, El PeténSan Luis is a municipality in the El Petén department of Guatemala. The municipality is rectangle-shaped and is approximately 2,915 km squared. It contains 44,903 people. There are about 140 hamlets that inhabit the municipality, with the capital of the pueblo of San Luis, itself...
– 44,903 - Santa AnaSanta Ana, El PeténSanta Ana is a municipality in the El Petén department of Guatemala. It contains 7,792 people....
– 7,792 - SayaxchéSayaxchéSayaxché is a municipality in the El Petén department of Guatemala, on the Río La Pasión river. In 2000, it had 47,693 inhabitants.The city was founded in 1874 to provide accommodation for forest workers of Jamet Sastré logging company. It obtain a municipal status in 1929.El Rosario National Park...
– 47,693
Archaeological sites
The Petén department includes a large number of archaeological sites belonging to the ancient Maya civilizationMaya civilization
The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period The Maya is a Mesoamerican...
, many of which have only received minimal attention by archaeologists.
Those sites with some level of restoration include: Tikal
Tikal
Tikal is one of the largest archaeological sites and urban centres of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. It is located in the archaeological region of the Petén Basin in what is now northern Guatemala...
, Uaxactún
Uaxactun
Uaxactun is an ancient ruin of the Maya civilization, located in the Petén Basin region of the Maya lowlands, in the present-day department of Petén, Guatemala. The site lies some north of the major center of Tikal...
, Aguateca
Aguateca
Aguateca is a Maya site located in northern Guatemala's Petexbatun Basin, in the department of Petén. The first settlements at Aguateca date to the Late Preclassic period , and the city was sacked and abandoned in the early 9th century. Aguateca sits on top of a tall limestone bluff, creating a...
, Seibal
Seibal
Seibal, known as El Ceibal in Spanish, is a Classic Period archaeological site of the Maya civilization located in the northern Petén Department of Guatemala. It was the largest city in the Pasión River region....
, Yaxha
Yaxha
Yaxha is a Mesoamerican archaeological site in the northeast of the Petén Basin region, and a former ceremonial center and city of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. Located in the modern-day department of Petén, northern Guatemala, it is approximately 30 km southeast from Tikal, between the...
, Nakum
Nakum
Nakum is a Mesoamerican archaeological site, and a former ceremonial center and city of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. It is located in the northeastern portion of the Petén Basin region, in the modern-day Guatemalan department of Petén...
, Topoxte
Topoxte
Topoxte is a pre-Columbian Maya archaeological site in the Petén Basin in northern Guatemala with a long occupational history dating as far back as the Middle Preclassic. As the capital of the Ko’woj Maya, it was the largest of the few Postclassic Mesoamerican sites in the area...
, San Clemente and La Blanca
La Blanca, Peten
La Blanca is a Maya archaeological site in the municipality of Melchor de Mencos in the northern Petén Department of Guatemala. The site is located in the lower reaches of the Mopan River valley and features a large acropolis complex...
.
Other archaeological sites include: Altar de Sacrificios
Altar de Sacrificios
Altar de Sacrificios is a ceremonial center and archaeological site of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization, situated near the confluence of the Pasión and Salinas Rivers , in the present-day department of Petén, Guatemala...
, La Amelia
La Amelia
La Amelia is a Pre-Columbian Maya archaeological site near Itzan, in the lower Pasión River region of the Petén Department of Guatemala. It formed a polity in the Late Classic , and was involved in the war between Tikal and Calakmul followed, in 650, by the take over of Dos Pilas, leading to...
, Arroyo de Piedra
Arroyo de Piedra
Arroyo de Piedra is a pre-Columbian Maya archaeological site in Guatemala located approximately 2-3 km east/northeast of Dos Pilas and 3 km west of Tamarindito. The site dates to the middle half of the Classic period...
, Bejucal
Bejucal (Mesoamerican site)
Bejucal is a Maya archaeological site in the Petén Department of Guatemala. It is located northeast of El Zotz and was subservient to that city...
, Cancuén
Cancuén
Cancuén is an archaeological site of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization, located in the Pasión subregion of the central Maya lowlands in the present-day Guatemalan Department of El Petén. The city is notable for having one of the largest palaces in the Maya world.- Ancient Cancuén :Cancuén was a...
, El Caribe, El Chal
El Chal
El Chal is a pre-Columbian Maya archaeological site located in the upper San Juan River valley of the southeastern Petén Basin region, Guatemala...
, Cival
Cival
Cival is an archaeological site in the Petén Basin region of the southern Maya lowlands, which was formerly a major city of the Pre-Columbian Maya civilization. It is located in the present-day Department of Petén, Guatemala....
, La Corona
La Corona
La Corona is an ancient Maya city in Guatemala's Petén department that was discovered in 1996 and later revealed to be the long-sought "Site Q", a prominent, undiscovered Maya city...
, Dos Pilas
Dos Pilas
Dos Pilas is a Pre-Columbian site of the Maya civilization located in what is now the department of Petén, Guatemala. It dates to the Late Classic Period, being founded by an offshoot of the dynasty of the great city of Tikal in AD 629 in order to control trade routes in the Petexbatún region,...
, Holmul
Holmul
Holmul may refer to:* Holmul, Guatemala, archaeological site of the Maya civilization* Holmul River in Romania...
, Holtun
Holtun
Holtun, originally named La Maquina, is a Maya archaeological site located in the Petén Department of northern Guatemala on the road to Melchor de Mencos from Flores. The city had a long period of occupation that lasted from the Middle Preclassic through to the Late Classic periods...
, Itzan
Itzan
Itzan is a Maya archaeological site located in the municipality of La Libertad in the Petén Department of Guatemala. Various small structures at the site were destroyed in the 1980s during oil exploration activities by Sonpetrol and Basic Resources Ltd, prompting rescue excavations by archaeologists...
, Ixkun
Ixkun
Ixkun is a pre-Columbian Maya archaeological site, situated in the Petén Basin region of the southern Maya lowlands. It lies to the north of the town of Dolores, in the modern-day department of Petén, Guatemala...
, Ixlu
Ixlu
Ixlu is a small Maya archaeological site that dates to the Classic and Postclassic Periods. It is located on the isthmus between the Petén Itzá and Salpetén lakes, in the northern Petén Department of Guatemala. The site was an important port with access to Lake Petén Itzá via the Ixlu River...
, Ixtonton
Ixtonton
Ixtonton is a Maya archaeological site in the department of Petén in northern Guatemala. It is located in the northwestern portion of the Maya Mountains in the municipality of Dolores. The ruins are situated approximately east of the town of Dolores itself. Ixtonton was the capital city of one of...
, Ixtutz
Ixtutz
Ixtutz was an important Classic Period Maya city located south of Ixkun in southeastern Petén, Guatemala. Ixtutz is situated in the valley of the Poxte River in the western portion of the Maya Mountains...
, La Joyanca
La Joyanca
La Joyanca is the modern name for a pre-Columbian Maya archaeological site located south of the San Pedro Martir river in the Petén department of Guatemala. It is east of the Maya site of La Florida , now the modern town of El Naranjo on the Mexico-Guatemala border. The site was discovered in 1994...
, Kinal
Kinal
Kinal is a pre-Columbian Maya archaeological site in the Petén Basin region, modern-day Petén Department, Guatemala. The major occupational phase for the site dates from the Late Classic period of Mesoamerican chronology, with evidence for a substantial and expansionary building program dating from...
, Machaquila
Machaquila
Machaquilá refers to a ruined city of the Maya civilization in what is now the El Peten department of Guatemala. There is also a small Guatemalan village several kilometers from the site that bears the name Machaquilá.-History:...
, El Mirador
El Mirador
El Mirador is a large pre-Columbian Mayan settlement, located in the north of the modern department of El Petén, Guatemala.-Discovery:El Mirador was first discovered in 1926, and was photographed from the air in 1930, but the remote site deep in the jungle had little more attention paid to it until...
, Motul de San José
Motul de San José
Motul de San José is an ancient Maya site located just north of Lake Petén Itzá in the Petén Basin region of the southern Maya lowlands. It is located a few kilometres from the modern village of San José, in Guatemala's northern department of Petén...
, La Muerta
La Muerta
La Muerta is a Maya archaeological site in the northern Petén region of Guatemala, located between the sites of El Mirador and El Tintal. It is located on a promontory south of the El Tigre complex of El Mirador, and it is considered a satellite of that city. La Muerta was inhabited during the...
, Muralla de León, Naachtun
Naachtun
Naachtun is an archaeological site of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization, situated at the northeastern perimeter of the Mirador Basin region in the southern Maya lowlands, now in the modern-day Department of El Petén, northern Guatemala...
, Nakbe
Nakbe
Nakbe is one of the largest early Maya archaeological sites, rivaled by El Mirador. Nakbe is located in the The Mirador Basin, in El Petén region of Guatemala, approximately 13 kilometers south of the Largest Maya city of El Mirador...
, Naranjo
Naranjo
Naranjo is an ancient city of the Maya civilization in the Petén Basin region of the central Maya lowlands. It is located in the present-day department of Petén, Guatemala about 10 km west of the border with Belize. It is located within the area of the Cultural Triangle of Yaxha, Nakum, Naranjo...
, El Peru, Piedras Negras
Piedras Negras
Piedras Negras may refer to:* Piedras Negras, Coahuila, a city in northern Mexico* Piedras Negras , an archaeological site of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization, located in the present-day Petén department of Guatemala...
, Polol, El Porvenir
El Porvenir
-Places:Bolivia*Porvenir Municipality,Chile*Porvenir, ChileEl Salvador*El Porvenir, Santa AnaEcuador* El Porvenir Parish, Palanda Canton, Zamora-ChinchipeHonduras*El Porvenir, Atlántida,*El Porvenir, Francisco MorazánMexico*El Porvenir, Chiapas...
, Punta de Chimino
Punta de Chimino
Punta de Chimino is a Maya archaeological site in the Petexbatún region of the department of Petén in Guatemala. Occupation at the site dates to the Preclassic and Classic periods of Mesoamerican chronology...
, Río Azul
Río Azul
Rio Azul is a Pre-Columbian archaeological site of the Maya civilization. in Río Azul National Park in present day Petén Department, in northern Guatemala...
, Sacul
Sacul, El Petén
Sacul is an archaeological site of the Maya civilization located in the upper drainage of the Mopan River, in the Petén department of Guatemala. The city occupied an important trade route through the Maya Mountains. The main period of occupation dates to the Late Classic Period...
, San Bartolo
San Bartolo (Maya site)
San Bartolo is a small pre-Columbian Maya archaeological site located in the Department of Petén in northern Guatemala, northeast of Tikal and roughly fifty miles from the nearest settlement...
, La Sufricaya
La Sufricaya
La Sufricaya is an archaeological site of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization, located in the Petén Basin region of present-day Guatemala. The site is situated approximately 1.2 km west of the site of Holmul, and the relationship between these two sites during the Classic period occupations is...
, Tamarindito
Tamarindito
Tamarindito is an archaeological site of the Maya civilization located along an escarpment in the Petén department of Guatemala. The city was the capital of the Petexbatún region of the southwestern Petén during the Early Classic period but was displaced by the newly founded conquest state of Dos...
, Tayasal
Tayasal
Tayasal is a pre-Columbian Maya archaeological site that dates to the Postclassic period. The site is located in the southern Maya lowlands on a small island in Lake Petén Itzá, now part of the Department of Petén in northern Guatemala...
, El Tintal
El Tintal
El Tintal is a Maya archaeological site in the northern Petén region of Guatemala, about northeast of the modern-day settlement of Carmelita, with settlement dating to the Preclassic and Classic periods. It is close to the better known sites of El Mirador , to which it was linked by causeway,...
, Tres Islas
Tres Islas
Tres Islas is a small pre-Columbian Maya archaeological site located north of Cancuen in Petén Department, northern Guatemala.-Site:Dating to the Early Classic, Tres Islas was typically subordinate to other, stronger polities, including that centered at Cancuen...
, Ucanal
Ucanal
Ucanal is an archaeological site of the ancient Maya civilization. It is located in the Petén department of northern Guatemala.-Location:Ucanal is located inside a bend of the Mopan River. It is accessed via the highway from Flores to Melchor de Mencos, and is near to the village of Tikalito...
, Xultun
Xultun
Xultún is a large Early Classic Maya archaeological site. Boasting a fairly large population, the site is located 40 km northeast of Tikal and 8 km south of the smaller Preclassic site of San Bartolo in northern Guatemala...
, Zacpeten
Zacpeten
Zacpeten is a pre-Columbian Maya archaeological site in Petén Department, northern Guatemala. It is notable as one of the few Maya communities that maintained their independence through the early phases of Spanish control over Mesoamerica.-History:...
, Zapote Bobal
Zapote Bobal
Zapote Bobal is the modern name for a pre-Columbian Maya archaeological site located south of the San Pedro Martir river in the Petén department of Guatemala. The name Zapote Bobal was coined by archaeologist Ian Graham, who discovered the site in the 1970s...
and El Zotz
El Zotz
El Zotz is a Mesoamerican archaeological site of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization, located in the Petén Basin region around west of the major center of Tikal and approximately west of Uaxactun. It is so called because of the large number of bats living in caves in the nearby cliffs...
.