Yaxha

Yaxha (or Yaxhá in Spanish orthography) is a Mesoamerican archaeological site in the northeast of the Petén Basin in modern-day Guatemala. As a ceremonial centre 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 (c. AD 250–600). Geographically situated on a prominent limestone ridge between Lake Yaxha and Lake Sacnab, the city occupied a strategic position controlling ancient trade routes across the eastern Petén lakes region. The name of the city derives from the Mayan yaxa', meaning "blue-green water," representing a rare survival of an authentic Classic period toponym into modern usage. The Yaxha polity controlled an estimated territory of 237 square kilometres (92 sq mi) within what is now the Yaxha-Nakum-Naranjo National Park, reaching a peak population of approximately 42,000 during 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 (c. 1000–350 BC). It developed into the largest city in the eastern Petén lakes region during the Late Preclassic (c. 350 BC – AD 250) and expanded into an enormous city during the Early Classic (c. AD 250–600). At this time, in common with other sites in Petén, it shows strong influence from the distant metropolis of Teot

Archaeological site data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).