Archaeological Site: San Clemente, Also Known As `Chinchantun` Or `Small Stone Royalty-Free Stock Image

San Clemente is a ruin of the ancient Maya civilization in Guatemala. Its main period of occupation dates to the Classic period of Mesoamerican chronology approximately 250 – 950 AD. The ruins were first described in the late 19th century, before being visited by a number of investigators in the early part of the 20th century. The site is situated in the Petén Basin, approximately 55 kilometres 34 mi from Flores, in the department of El Petén of northern Guatemala. It is 13 kilometres 8.1 mi north of the modern settlement of El Naranjo, within the municipality of Flores. The site occupies a deforested hilltop at an elevation of 270 metres 890 ft above mean sea level. San Clemente is located in the north of the Maya Biosphere Reserve. The ruins were given the name San Clemente in the late 19th century by Karl Sapper, after a camp to the west of the site. Sylvanus Morley named the site Chinchantun `small stone` in Mayan. The site was first occupied during the Early Classic c. 250–550 AD, when simple platforms were built directly upon the bedrock, around unsurfaced plazas. The city underwent a major construction phase during the Late Classic c. 550–830, with the development of monumental platforms and the construction of two Mesoamerican ballcourts. The architecture visible today dates to the Terminal Classic c. 830–950. Principal activity at the site has been dated according to ceramic evidence to the period running from c. 450 to c. 900.