Sacul, El Petén

Sacul

Late Classic vase from Sacul, on display in the Museo Regional del Sureste de Petén in Dolores
Location	Dolores
Region	Petén Department, Guatemala
History
Abandoned	Postclassic Period
Periods	Classic Period
Cultures	Maya civilization
Site notes
Archaeologists	Juan Pedro Laporte
Architecture
Architectural styles	Classic Maya

Sacul is an archaeological site of the Maya civilization located in the upper drainage of the Mopan River, in the Petén department of Guatemala. The city occupied an important trade route through the Maya Mountains. The main period of occupation dates to the Late Classic Period. In the late 8th century AD through to the early 9th century, Sacul was one of the few kingdoms in the southeastern Petén region to use its own Emblem Glyph, together with Ixtutz and Ucanal.

In AD 779 Sacul went to war against Ixkun and lost, but stelae at both cities record a visit to Ixkun by king Ch'iyel of Sacul just 11 years later and the two cities appear to have formed a military alliance at that time.

The site core is arranged around a number of plazas, one of which forms a monumental acropolis. The plazas were resurfaced in the Terminal Classic, when the city experienced a period of dense occupation. At this time Sacul experienced a major surge in construction activity, with many buildings being extended or altered. Sacul was inhabited into the Postclassic Period at a much reduced level, although it is not known if this represents a continuation of Classic Period occupation. This final phase of activity was spread throughout both the ceremonial core and the residential periphery and ceramic finds demonstrate links to the Belize Valley and the southern area of the Maya Mountains.

The site core includes pyramids, a ballcourt, a triadic complex and two E-Group astronomical complexes.

The Sacul Valley is located in the northern portion of the Maya Mountains, just 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) from the border with Belize. The landscape is broken and hilly, with an altitude that varies between 450 and 650 metres (1,480 and 2,130 ft) above mean sea level. The Sacul River flows northwards and forms a part of the upper Mopan River drainage system. The Sacul River joins the Mopan and Xaan Rivers, crossing into Belize where it becomes the Belize River and empties into the Caribbean Sea.