Uaxactun

Uaxactun lies a short distance north of Tikal and is small by comparison, but it matters out of proportion to its size. Its Group E consists of a pyramid on the west side of a plaza facing a long platform on the east carrying three small structures, positioned so that from the pyramid the sun rises over the outer buildings at the solstices and the centre one at the equinoxes; when this was recognised in the 1920s it gave archaeologists the template, and every arrangement of the kind found since is called an E-Group. Structure E-VII-sub, an early pyramid preserved beneath a later one, keeps its stucco masks.

History

The archaeologist Sylvanus Morley rediscovered the site in May 1916 and named it Uaxactun, "eight stones", after an inscription from the 8th Baktun of the Maya calendar, corresponding to 328 AD and then the earliest known Maya date. Frans Blom mapped it in 1924, and the Carnegie Institution excavated it from 1926 to 1937 under Oliver Ricketson, work that led to the naming of the "E-Group", since Group E here became the model for Maya astronomical complexes across the lowlands; a small village grew up around the airstrip as a centre for gathering chicle (Wikipedia, Uaxactun).

What to look for

• The original E-Group - the plaza that named a whole class of buildings.
• Structure E-VII-sub - an early pyramid with stucco masks preserved.
• Solstice and equinox alignments - the arrangement the group was built for.
• A quiet site near a busy one - far fewer visitors than Tikal.

When to go

January to April, the dry season, when the road north from Tikal is passable. A day. Trips are usually arranged from Flores or at Tikal.

Things to know

The road from Tikal is rough and impassable after heavy rain. The site is small and low, and much of it is unrestored. There are few facilities. Most visitors combine it with Tikal rather than travelling for it alone.

Nearby

Tikal is south; El Zotz lies south-west.

Key facts