Zaculeu

Zaculeu

Plaza 1 with Structure 6 at the left and Structure 1 at the right. The small platforms in the plaza are Structures 11 and 12.
Location within Mesoamerica
Alternative name	Saqulew
Location	Huehuetenango
Region	Huehuetenango Department, Guatemala
Coordinates	15°20′1.66″N 91°29′33.88″W / 15.3337944°N 91.4927444°W / 15.3337944; -91.4927444
History
Founded	Early Classic c.AD 250–600
Abandoned	1525
Periods	Early Classic to Late Postclassic
Cultures	Maya civilization
Events	Conquered by: Kʼicheʼ Kingdom of Qʼumarkaj (Postclassic) Gonzalo de Alvarado y Contreras of Spain (1525)
Site notes
Excavation dates	1940s
Archaeologists	John M. Dimick
Architecture
Architectural styles	Mesoamerican pyramids with talud-tablero style architecture and double stairways
Restored by United Fruit Company (Late 1940s) Responsible body: Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes

Zaculeu or Saqulew is a pre-Columbian Maya archaeological site in the highlands of western Guatemala, about 3.7 kilometres (2.3 mi) outside the modern city of Huehuetenango.^[1] Occupation at the site dates to the Early Classic period (AD 250–600) of Mesoamerican history. Zaculeu was the capital of the Postclassic Mam kingdom,^[2] and was conquered by the Kʼicheʼ Kingdom of Qʼumarkaj. It displays a mixture of Mam and Kʼicheʼ style architecture.^[3]

In AD 1525 the city was attacked by Spanish conquistadors under Gonzalo de Alvarado y Contreras during a siege that lasted several months. Kayb'il B'alam, the city's last ruler, finally surrendered to the Spanish due to starvation.^[4][5]

The site contains a number of temple-pyramids with talud-tablero style architecture and double stairways.^[6] The pyramids and governmental palaces are grouped around a series of large public plazas. The site also holds a court for playing the Mesoamerican ballgame.^[6] The site was originally fortified with walls.

The site was restored by the United Fruit Company in the late 1940s. It is open to tourists and includes a small museum.^[7]