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The thirteen places on the Sites page, side by side.

Each figure links to its source by number. Hover over a number to see the page. Population and size mean different things at different sites, a walled center at one and a whole valley at another, so the small words under each size say what was measured. Square miles are worked out from square kilometers. A dagger marks a figure from Wikipedia that still needs a check against the work it cites. Checked November 6, 2026.

Tikal
Aguateca
Calakmul
Caracol
Copán
Dzibanché
Joya de Cerén
Kaminaljuyu
La Corona
Naj Tunich
Palenque
San Bartolo
Yaxchilán
CountryGuatemala1Guatemala2Mexico3Belize4Honduras5Mexico6El Salvador7Guatemala8Guatemala9Guatemala10Mexico11Guatemala12Mexico13
Ancient nameMutul14not foundOx Te' Tuun15Ux Witz Ha16Oxwitik17†Kaanu'l6not foundChiih Witz, proposed18Sak Nikte'9not foundLakamha'19not foundPa' Chan20
Years lived in800 BC to AD 9001200 BC to AD 81021400s BC to after AD 90922600 BC to AD 900231500 BC to early 900s AD5850 BC to the 1500s, sources differ6about AD 539 to 600s241500 BC to AD 120025†AD 300s to 90026a cave, visited Late Preclassic to AD 77227about AD 1 to 800s11700 BC to AD 900, with a gap12Late Preclassic to about AD 80828
Peak population39,000 to 56,0006not foundabout 50,0002974,000 to 122,0002320,000 to 28,000, valley30not foundabout 20031not found5,000 to 12,00026does not apply4,000 to 10,00032not foundnot found
Size, km²76 settlement61.4 center3370 city, estimated29240 city230.85 park565 settlement60.05 village345 ruins81.5 center26a cave, 3 km long272.2 city351 site123 east zone, at least36
Size, sq mi290.5427930.33250.021.90.58see km²0.850.391.2
Wider area576 km², 222 sq mi national park1not found3,314 km², 1,280 sq mi UNESCO property3not found250 km², 97 sq mi kingdom at its peak17†103 km², 40 sq mi lidar survey632 km², 12 sq mi UNESCO property70.10 km², 0.04 sq mi park37410 km², 158 sq mi lidar survey26not found18 km², 6.9 sq mi UNESCO property11not foundnot found
Gods namednone namednone namednone namednone namedtwo patron gods, names not found38†none namednone namednone namedYaxal Ajaw, K'an Lakam Chahk, Chak Wayib Chahk26Moon Goddess39Palenque Triad, GI, GII, GIII40Maize God41none named
Known ruler, ADJasaw Chan K'awiil I, 682 to 73442Tahn Te' K'inich, monuments 771 to 77843Yuknoom Ch'een II, 636 to about 68644†K'an II, 618 to 65845†Waxaklahuun Ubah K'awiil, 695 to 73846Sky Witness, about 572 to 5896does not applynot foundK'inich ? Yook, 667 to 68926does not applyK'inich Janaab' Pakal, 615 to 68347not foundItzamnaaj Bahlam, Shield Jaguar, 681 to 74213
Tallest buildingTemple IV, 70 m48Structure M8-34, 10 m43Structure II, 50 m22Caana, 42.5 m4Acropolis, about 30 m5Temple of the Cormorants, 34 m49†Structure 3, over 3.5 m50Mound E-III-3, over 20 m51Main Palace, base 10 m52does not applyPalace tower, 25 m, to verify53Las Pinturas, about 26 m12Buildings 39 to 41, on a hill 90 m above the plaza54
Tie to Tikalthe center of the studyits kings used the Tikal emblem14rival, seat of the Kaanul kings55client of Tikal, then its enemy56not foundrival, early Kaanul seat55not foundnot foundally of Kaanul, Tikal's rival57not foundnot foundnot foundnot found
UNESCO19791no5820023no5919805no, to verify19937no58no58Tentative List10198711Tentative List58Tentative List60
Known forrecords of 33 rulers1walled town left in haste61seat of the Kaanul kings3rise to power about AD 5624Hieroglyphic Stairway5early seat of the Kaanul kings3village buried in ash7highland capital, now in Guatemala City8Site Q, source of looted panels9cave paintings and texts27tomb of Pakal, found 195219Preclassic murals41carved lintels, over 120 monuments13

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Sources

  1. UNESCO. Tikal National Park. https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/64
  2. Ponciano, Triadan, and Inomata (2006). XIX Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala. https://www.mesoweb.com/Simposio/pdf/19/Ponciano_et_al.2006.pdf
  3. UNESCO. Ancient Maya City and Protected Tropical Forests of Calakmul. https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1061
  4. Britannica. Caracol. https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/94492/Caracol
  5. UNESCO. Maya Site of Copan. https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/129
  6. Estrada-Belli, Balanzario, and Velásquez (2024). The rise of the Kaanul kingdom and the city of Dzibanché. Ancient Mesoamerica, 35. https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/60D62699ADBBCBB27AA07AD35131FC81/S0956536122000207a.pdf/the-rise-of-the-kaanul-kingdom-and-the-city-of-dzibanche.pdf
  7. UNESCO. Joya de Cerén Archaeological Site. https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/675
  8. Agencia Guatemalteca de Noticias. Kaminaljuyu, la capital regional prehispánica. https://agn.gt/kaminaljuyu-la-capital-regional-prehispanica/
  9. Barrientos and others (2011). XXIV Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala. https://www.mesoweb.com/Simposio/pdf/24/Barrientos_et_al.1.2011.pdf
  10. UNESCO Tentative List. Naj Tunich Cave. https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1756
  11. UNESCO. Pre-Hispanic City and National Park of Palenque. https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/411
  12. Saturno (2011). The PARI Journal, 11(4), 12 to 15. Title to verify. https://www.mesoweb.com/pari/publications/journal/1104/Saturno2011.pdf
  13. INAH. Yaxchilán, guía. https://difusion.inah.gob.mx/images/guias/11_yaxchilan.pdf
  14. Stuart, D. (2013, November 8). Deciphering the Tikal emblem glyph. Maya Decipherment. https://mayadecipherment.com/2013/11/08/deciphering-the-tikal-emblem-glyph/
  15. National Geographic. Calakmul, the snake kingdom. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/calakmul-maya-snake-kingdom-mexico
  16. Chase, A. S. Z. (2023). Transformation, growth, and governance at Caracol, Belize. Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology, 18, 19 to 30. https://doi.org/10.62064/rrba.18.02
  17. Wikipedia. Copán, citing Stuart and Houston (1994, pp. 23, 25) and Martin and Grube (2000, p. 204). Wikipedia, to verify against the work it cites. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cop%C3%A1n
  18. van Akkeren. Cerro de Maguey, el nombre original de Kaminal Juyu. Year to verify. The author calls the reading a proposal. https://core.ac.uk/download/304709912.pdf
  19. INAH. Palenque, guía. https://www.difusion.inah.gob.mx/images/guias/MINIGUIA-PALENQUE.pdf
  20. Martin (2004). The PARI Journal, 5(1), 1 to 7. Title to verify. https://www.mesoweb.com/pari/publications/journal/501/BrokenSky.pdf
  21. Ponciano (2004). XVII Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala. https://www.mesoweb.com/Simposio/pdf/17/Ponciano.2004.pdf
  22. Rodríguez Campero (2009). XXII Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala. https://mesoweb.com/Simposio/pdf/22/Rodriguez_Campero.2009.pdf
  23. Chase, Chase, and others (2024). Report on Caracol, title to verify. https://caracol.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Chases-Caracol-2024.pdf
  24. Slotten, Lentz, and Sheets (2020). Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 59. Title to verify. https://escholarship.org/content/qt12n5h6nr/qt12n5h6nr.pdf
  25. Wikipedia. Kaminaljuyu, citing the World Monuments Fund. Wikipedia, to verify against the work it cites. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaminaljuyu
  26. Barrientos and others (2019). XXXII Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala. https://www.mesoweb.com/Simposio/pdf/32/Barrientos_et_al.2019.pdf
  27. Carter and MacLeod (2021). The PARI Journal, 21(4). Title to verify. https://www.mesoweb.com/pari/journal/archive/PARI2104.pdf
  28. Kaneko (1998). XI Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala. https://www.mesoweb.com/Simposio/pdf/11/Kaneko.1998.pdf
  29. Folan, Marcus, and others (1995). Calakmul, new data from an ancient Maya capital. Latin American Antiquity, 6(4), 310 to 334. https://www.latinamericanstudies.org/calakmul/Calakmul.pdf
  30. Webster and Freter (1990). Settlement history and the Classic collapse at Copan. Latin American Antiquity, 1(1), 66 to 85. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/latin-american-antiquity/article/settlement-history-and-the-classic-collapse-at-copan-a-redefined-chronological-perspective/064579A73D12BC3BA7FDB6EE7763A827
  31. University of Colorado Boulder (2015). Cerén news. https://www.colorado.edu/asmagazine-archive/node/1926
  32. Barnhart (2005). Paper on Palenque social organization, title to verify. https://www.mayaexploration.org/pdf/PalenqueSocialOrganization_Nov2005.pdf
  33. Inomata, Triadan, and Wolley (1993). VI Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala. https://www.mesoweb.com/Simposio/pdf/06/Inomata_et_al.1993.pdf
  34. CONCULTURA and Getty Conservation Institute (2002). Plan de manejo, Joya de Cerén. https://www.getty.edu/conservation/publications_resources/pdf_publications/pdf/presentacion_introduccion.pdf
  35. Barnhart (2001). Dissertation on the Palenque Mapping Project, University of Texas at Austin. Title to verify. https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/items/02622ac5-6757-4c14-b509-1b8e47382926/full
  36. The PARI Journal (2002). Report on Yaxchilan. Authors and title to verify. https://www.mesoweb.com/pari/publications/journal/2002/Yaxchilan.pdf
  37. Arroyo (2014). XXVII Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala. https://www.mesoweb.com/Simposio/pdf/27/Arroyo.2014.pdf
  38. Wikipedia. Quiriguá, citing Looper (2003, p. 78). Wikipedia, to verify against the work it cites. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quirigu%C3%A1
  39. Stone (1985). The Moon Goddess at Naj Tunich. Mexicon, 7(2). https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/kip_articles/6345
  40. Lounsbury (1985). Fourth Palenque Round Table, 45 to 58. Title to verify. https://mesoweb.org/pari/publications/RT06/Lounsbury1985.pdf
  41. Saturno, Taube, and Stuart (2005). Ancient America, 7. Title to verify. https://www.mesoweb.org/bearc/caa/AA07-es.pdf
  42. O'Neil (2016). XXIX Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala. https://www.mesoweb.com/Simposio/pdf/29/O'Neil.2016.pdf
  43. Ponciano and Pinto (2007). XX Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala. https://www.mesoweb.com/Simposio/pdf/20/Ponciano_y_Pinto.2007.pdf
  44. Wikipedia. Calakmul, citing Braswell et al. (2005, p. 171) and Martin and Grube (2000). Wikipedia, to verify against the work it cites. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calakmul
  45. Wikipedia. Caracol, and List of the rulers of Caracol, citing Martin and Grube (2008). Wikipedia, to verify against the work it cites. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_rulers_of_Caracol
  46. World History Encyclopedia. Copán. https://www.worldhistory.org/Copan/
  47. World History Encyclopedia. K'inich Janaab' Pakal. https://www.worldhistory.org/audioplayer/en/1-12539/
  48. Ponciano (2011). XXIV Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala. https://mesoweb.com/Simposio/pdf/24/Ponciano.2011.pdf
  49. Wikipedia. Temple of the Cormorants. Wikipedia, to verify against the work it cites. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_the_Cormorants
  50. Sheets (2013). Joya de Cerén, Spanish edition. https://www.colorado.edu/anthropology/sites/default/files/attached-files/joya_sheets_23_oct_2013.pdf
  51. Estrada and Arroyo (2022). XXXIV Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala. https://www.mesoweb.com/Simposio/pdf/34/Estrada_y_Arroyo.2022.pdf
  52. Canuto and others (2012). XXV Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala. https://www.mesoweb.com/Simposio/pdf/25/Canuto_et_al.2012.pdf
  53. World History Encyclopedia. Palenque, Spanish edition. https://www.worldhistory.org/trans/es/1-12564/palenque/
  54. INAH. Yaxchilán, Lugares INAH. https://lugares.inah.gob.mx/en/node/4367
  55. Stuart, D. (2026). The four heavens. A new history of the ancient Maya. Princeton University Press. Cited on the Sakbe Sites page.
  56. Chase, D. Z., and Chase, A. F. (2017). Caracol, Belize, and changing perceptions of ancient Maya society. Journal of Archaeological Research, 25(3), 185 to 249. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10814-016-9101-z
  57. Canuto and Barrientos. Archaeology, epigraphy and the development of long-term alliance at La Corona, Guatemala. tDAR abstract. https://core.tdar.org/document/404269/archaeology-epigraphy-and-the-development-of-long-term-alliance-at-la-corona-guatemala
  58. UNESCO. Guatemala, properties and Tentative List. https://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/gt/
  59. UNESCO. Belize. https://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/bz
  60. UNESCO Tentative List. Région Lacan-Tún Usumacinta. https://whc.unesco.org/fr/listesindicatives/1962/
  61. Inomata (1997). Ancient Mesoamerica, 8(2), 337 to 351. Title to verify. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0956536100001772

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