El Perú

Also known by its ancient Maya name Waka', this major city-state capital sits near the San Pedro River in Guatemala's Peten department, 60 km west of Tikal. Occupied from c. 500 BC to 800 AD, it hosted the first recorded contact between Teotihuacan and the Maya in 378 AD during the event known as 'La Entrada'. By 400 AD tens of thousands inhabited the city, which featured hundreds of buildings, four plazas, pyramids, and ceremonial centres. The city was defeated by Tikal's ruler Yik'in Chan K'awiil in 743 AD. Excavations since 2003 have revealed elite tombs and stelae documenting the city's shifting alliances between Tikal and Calakmul.