Yaxchilán

Yaxchilán stands on the Mexican bank of the Usumacinta River, inside a horseshoe-shaped meander that protects it on every side except a narrow strip to the south. The river is the border with Guatemala, and there is no road: you arrive by motor launch from Frontera Corozal, which is a large part of the appeal. In the Late Classic period it was one of the most powerful Maya kingdoms on the Usumacinta, rival of Piedras Negras upstream and overlord of smaller sites such as Bonampak, about 21 km away. Its dynasty began in the 4th century and lasted into the early 9th. The name means green stones in Maya and was given by the explorer Teobert Maler; the ancient name is read as Pa' Chan, split sky.

The site is best known for its sculpture. INAH counts more than 130 monuments with inscriptions on lintels, stelae, altars and stairways, telling of accessions, battles, captives and bloodletting rituals. Much of it was commissioned by two kings: Kokaaj Bahlam III (also read Itzamnaaj Bahlam III), known as Shield Jaguar, who ruled for more than sixty years from 681 to 742, and his son Bird Jaguar IV, who took the throne in 752 after a long power struggle. Some of the finest lintels, including the famous Lintel 24 showing a royal bloodletting, were taken to the British Museum in the 19th century, but many carvings remain in place.

A visit follows a path from the river landing through the dark passages of Structure 19, the Labyrinth, into the Great Plaza with its temples, ball court, stelae and a huge ceiba tree. A long stairway climbs to the Great Acropolis and Structure 33, the emblem of the site, with its tall roof comb and a seated statue of Bird Jaguar inside. Further up, the West Acropolis holds Structures 42 and 44 with more carved lintels. Howler and spider monkeys are common in the trees. Note that the site was closed from October 2023 to March 2024 because of problems with organized crime around Frontera Corozal; it reopened under the watch of a community police force, so check the current situation before you go.