Cival

Cival is an archaeological site in the Petén Basin region of the southern Maya lowlands, which was formerly a major city of the Pre-Columbian Maya civilization [1]. The site flourished from about the 6th century B.C. through the 1st century C.E., during the Preclassic Period [1]. The site is about 25 miles east of Tikal, on a ridge over the left bank of the Holmul river [1]. The site has temples on step pyramids and plazas arranged to point to astronomical events such as the equinox sunrise, and is surrounded by a defensive wall [1]. The site's largest step pyramid is 27 metres high and 70 x 40 metres wide [1]. Some buildings were decorated with stucco sculptures depicting Mesoamerican deities [1]. The site was long lost in the jungle, and was discovered and partly plundered by looters around 1980 [1]. It was first mapped by explorer Ian Graham in 1984, who gave it the name Cival after a local word for "lagoon" [1].