About 40 miles south of Palenque in mountainous terrain, Tonina developed into a formidable rival. Its Great Acropolis rises approximately 75 meters — possibly the tallest pyramid structure in all of Mexico — with seven terraces containing eight palaces, 13 temples, and 260 steps matching the Maya ritual calendar. The site specialized in sculpture-in-the-round and practiced ritual decapitation of war captives. Monument 101 bears the latest known Long Count calendar date in the entire Maya world: January 20, 909 CE, which scholars consider marks the end of the Classic Maya period.
Tonina's Military Dominance and Latest Maya Long Count Date
MexicoGeneral
Key facts
- Tonina located approximately 40 miles south of Palenque in mountainous terrain
- Great Acropolis is approximately 75m tall, possibly the tallest pyramid structure in Mexico
- Complex has seven terraces with eight palaces, 13 temples, and numerous structures
- 260 steps correspond exactly to 260 days of Maya ritual calendar
- Ball court dedicated in 699 CE with commemorative event recording military victory over Palenque lord in 776
- Site developed distinctive tradition of sculpture-in-the-round
- Practiced ritual decapitation of war captives and statues of prisoners
- Monument 101 bears the latest known Long Count calendar date in Maya world: January 20, 909 CE
- This date marks what scholars consider the end of the Classic Maya period
Site mentioned
Was this story useful?
Keep exploring
Every site on this page sits on the globe, and the people who research them are on the Discord.
3D Globe · Sites by country · Story Archive · Research Library · Weekly Journal · Search
AI-generated text · images from the original sources · always verify with the sources.