Archaeological Site: Yaxha, The Third Largest Mayan City In The Mesoamerican Region Editorial Image

Yaxha is a Mesoamerican archaeological site in the northeast of the Peten Basin region, in Guatemala and a former ceremonial centre and city of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. Yaxha was the third largest city in the region and experienced its maximum power during the Early Classic period. The city was located on a ridge overlooking Lake Yaxha. The name of the city derives from the Mayan for `blue-green water`. The Yaxha kingdom is estimated to have covered an area of 237 square kilometers 92 sq mi and to have had a peak population of 42,000 in the Late Classic period of Mesoamerican chronology. Yaxha had a long history of occupation with the first settlement being founded sometime in the Middle Preclassic period. It developed into the largest city in the eastern Peten lakes region during the Late Preclassic and expanded into an enormous city during the Early Classic. At this time, in common with other sites in Peten, it shows strong influence from the distant metropolis of Teotihuacan in the Valley of Mexico. It was eclipsed during the Late Classic by neighboring Naranjo but was never completely dominated. The city survived well into the Terminal Classic but was abandoned by the Postclassic period. The ruins include the remains of more than 500 structures with a number of major archaeological groups linked by causeways. Approximately 40 Maya stelae have been discovered at the site, about half of which feature sculpture.