Izapa
Izapa — Soconusco
Late Formative 1500 BCE–100 CE (Izapa style)·Mixe-Zoque? / early Maya (Izapan)·🇲🇽 Chiapas, Mexico
About
About Izapa
Late Formative Soconusco ceremonial center (1500 BCE–100 CE) at Pacific piedmont–coastal plain ecotone, predecessor to Maya Long Count: 250 mounds in 8 groups (Group A 22 m pyramid, Group B ballcourt, Group F). Abundant Izapa-style stelae and altars (90 monuments) with Popol Vuh narrative imagery—Stela 5 Tree of Life and Stela 25 twins—and U-shaped mound arrangements aligned to Tacaná volcano (4080 m) and solstice sunset. Long Count earliest stelae debated.
Why it mattersKey Late Formative transition linking Olmec to Maya; Izapa stelae style defines Izapan aesthetic and possible Long Count invention.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Whether Long Count originates at Izapa vs Tres Zapotes San Lorenzo
- 02Mixe-Zoque vs Maya ethnicity of Izapans
Theories
- 01Izapa as Olmec–Maya transmission corridor via Soconusco cacao trade
- 02Volcano-mound alignment cosmology: Tacaná orientation model
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- 1500 BCE–100 CE (Late Formative; peak 600–100 BCE)
- Period
- Late Formative 1500 BCE–100 CE (Izapa style)
- Culture
- Mixe-Zoque? / early Maya (Izapan)
- Builders
- Izapan (Mixe-Zoque-Maya transitional)
- Purpose
- Ceremonial center, early stela cult and hypothesized Long Count origin
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
1500 BCE–100 CE (Late Formative; peak 600–100 BCE)
Initial construction
c. 1029 CE
Rediscovery
On the ground
Structures & features
14.9244° N · 92.1806° W · 120 m · 2 mapped features
Izapa central feature
featureMain architectural feature
14.9244° N · 92.1806° WIzapa secondary sector
sectorSecondary sector
14.9254° N · 92.1796° W