El Chal
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 Shown within Guatemala
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| Location | Dolores |
|---|---|
| Region |
Petén Department,  Guatemala
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| Coordinates | 16°38′N 89°39′W / 16.633°N 89.650°W |
| History | |
| Founded | Middle Preclassic Period |
| Abandoned | Terminal Classic Period |
| Periods | Classic Period |
| Cultures | Maya civilization |
| Site notes | |
| Archaeologists | IDAEH |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural styles | Classic Maya |
| Architectural details | Number of monuments: 19+ |
| Responsible body: IDAEH | |
El Chal is a pre-Columbian Maya archaeological site located in the upper San Juan River valley of the southeastern Petén Basin region, Guatemala. The site is situated approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi) to the north of the modern town of Dolores, near the contemporary village settlement of the same name, lying some 600 metres (2,000 ft) to the south.
El Chal was occupied from approximately 300 BC through to 1300 AD (from the Late Preclassic through to the Early Postclassic Periods of Mesoamerican chronology), although some Middle Preclassic activity has been identified in the acropolis. The Late Preclassic occupation of the city was concentrated around an E-Group ceremonial complex some 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) north of the later site core. The site's major period of occupation was during the Late Classic Period, when it was an important centre in the southeastern Petén region. Among the structures at the site is a large quadrangular residential complex, a structural type that is uncommonly found at Southern Maya lowland sites although there is a smaller one with similar characteristics at Machaquilá.
As of 2010[update] very little restorative work has been undertaken at the site. The archaeological site is protected by the Guatemalan Instituto de Antropología e Historia.
El Chal is located in the municipality of Dolores in the department of Petén in northern Guatemala. El Chal is 40 kilometres (25 mi) south of Flores, the departmental capital. The archaeological site is within the southern area of a village also named El Chal, 600 metres (2,000 ft) to the south of the highway to Flores. The site is situated in the central Petén wet savanna in a well-drained area not subject to seasonal flooding. The local topography is karstic in nature, and includes hills that support some of the city's architecture.
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