No. 108

El Mirador

Where

Guatemala

Built by

Preclassic Maya

Era

600 BCE-150 CE

Known for

La Danta, among the largest pyramids on Earth by volume.

How it ended

Abandoned around 150 CE, possibly from soil loss.

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Background

El Mirador (which translates as 'The Lookout', 'The Viewpoint', or 'The Belvedere') is a large pre-Columbian Middle and Late Preclassic (1000 BC – 250 AD) Maya settlement, located in the north of the modern department of El Petén, Guatemala. It is part of the Mirador-Calakmul Karst Basin of northern Guatemala. El Mirador is considered to be the most important complex of ancient cities from the Preclassic period. It features causeways and pyramids, among which the pyramid of La Danta stands out, one of the tallest and most voluminous in the world.

The site is estimated to comprise some 800 cities, and the location of La Danta was the epicenter of trade, religious ceremonies, and the royal residence of rulers. Furthermore, the city was interconnected with others via 13 causeways, representing its power over the other Mayan cities in the region. El Mirador has white roads measuring 40 meters wide and between 2 and 5 meters high, forming what researchers consider the world's first highway system or superhighway.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.