Nakbe
Ooxul / Nakbé
Maya Preclassic 1400 BCE–100 CE·Maya (Mirador Basin Preclassic)·🇬🇹 Petén, Mirador Basin, Guatemala
About
About Nakbe
Earliest monumental Maya city (1400 BCE–100 CE) in Mirador Basin, predecessor to El Mirador with triadic pyramid Structure 1 (46 m high, base 150×150 m) and 18-m stela 1 (earliest long-count style). Causeway to El Mirador (12 km) and causeway to El Tintal. Middle Preclassic ceramic sequence defining Preclassic lowland urbanism. Stucco masks and E-Group proven earliest solar observatory in lowlands.
Why it mattersEarliest large Maya construction demonstrating Preclassic urbanism precedes Classic by 1000 years.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Dating of earliest 1400 BCE structures vs 1000 BCE ceramic seriations
- 02Function of early stela 1 without Long Count
Theories
- 01Mirador Basin as cradle of Maya lowland civilization model
- 02Causeway as Preclassic political integration mechanism
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.1400 BCE–100 CE (Middle to Late Preclassic)
- Period
- Maya Preclassic 1400 BCE–100 CE
- Culture
- Maya (Mirador Basin Preclassic)
- Builders
- Preclassic Maya
- Purpose
- Proto-urban ceremonial center and causeway hub to Mirador
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c.1400 BCE–100 CE (Middle to Late Preclassic)
Initial construction
c. 1376 CE
Abandonment
On the ground
Structures & features
17.6833° N · 89.8694° W · 320 m · 2 mapped features
Nakbe central feature
featureMain architectural feature
17.6833° N · 89.8694° WNakbe secondary sector
sectorSecondary sector
17.6843° N · 89.8684° W
Gallery