Naranjo, Guatemala
View of Naranjo
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 Location of the site
Location of the site
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| Location | Petén Department, Guatemala |
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| Region | Petén Basin |
| Coordinates | 17°08′0.95″N 89°15′43.81″W / 17.1335972°N 89.2621694°W |
| Type | Settlement |
| History | |
| Periods | Middle Preclassic to Early Postclassic |
| Cultures | Maya civilization |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | In ruins |
Naranjo is a Pre-Columbian Maya city in the Petén Basin region of Guatemala. It was occupied from about 500 B.C. to 950 A.D, with its height in the Late Classic Period. The site is part of Yaxha-Nakum-Naranjo National Park. The city lies along the Mopan and Holmul rivers, and is about 50 km east of the site of Tikal. Naranjo has been the victim of severe looting. The site is known for its polychrome ceramic style
"Naranjo" in Spanish means "Orange Tree." The emblem glyph of the Naranjo is transliterated as Sa'aal “the place where (maize) gruel abounds.” The Naranjo dynastic rulers are said to be the "Holy Lords of Sa'aal."
The area of Naranjo covers at least 8 km² with the urban center covering about 2.25 km². There are currently 389 recorded buildings in the central area and over 900 around the center.
The epicenter consists of six triadic complexes, two ballcourts, two palace compounds, and one E-group. C-9 is the largest triadic complex in the city. Structure C-9 is the complexes main pyramid, and the Largest at the site. Because it occupies the top of a natural hill with a cave located inside, it is a perfect place to be categorized as a ‘sacred mountain’.
A hieroglyphic stairway, that is believed to have been taken from Caracol, was added to structure B-18 sometime in the seventh century AD.
The site was first mapped and photographed by Teoberto Maler in 1905, who was sent by The Peabody Museum of Harvard University. In 1908 Maler excavated the hieroglyphic stairway from structure B-18, parts of which are now housed in the British Museum in London. In the 1910s, further investigations of the site were made by Sylvanus G. Morley and Oliver Ricketson.
Investigations of the site of Xunantunich suggests that it was part of Naranjo's realm.
By the 1920s, many of the ancient sculptures had already disappeared. The problem worsened in the 1960s, when many of the site's large sculptures were smashed into fragments by looters in order to sneak them out of the country.
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Wikipedia