El Perú

El Perú (also known as Waka'), is a pre-Columbian Maya archeological site occupied during the Preclassic and Classic cultural chronology periods (roughly 500 BC to 800 AD) [1]. The site was the capital of a Maya city-state and is located near the banks of the San Pedro River in the Department of Petén of northern Guatemala [1]. El Perú is 60 km west of Tikal [1]. The Maya city of Waka' was rediscovered by oil prospectors in the 1960s [1]. Then in 2003 David Freidel, of Southern Methodist University, and Héctor Escobedo began to excavate Waka' [1]. The first recorded meeting between Teotihuacan and the Maya occurred at Waka' in 378 [1]. The city included hundreds of buildings, four plazas, and ceremonial centers [1].