Naachtun

Naachtun is an archaeological site of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization, situated at the northeastern perimeter of the Mirador Basin region in the southern Maya lowlands, now in the modern-day Department of El Petén [1]. Situated in one of the areas most remote from contemporary settlements, the site was first rediscovered and documented in 1922 by the American archaeologist and Mayanist scholar, Sylvanus Morley [1]. The name Naachtun was given to the site by Morley, taken from a Mayan construction glossed as "distant stones", in recognition of its remoteness [1]. Its ancient name was Masuul [1]. By the Terminal Classic, Naachtun suffered a population loss leaving many of the residential structures abandoned [1]. The site is divided into three groups: Group A, Group B and Group C. The majority of the structures in Groups C and A were built during the Balam 2 phase (350–500 CE) [1]. Archeologists have excavated 45 stelae from Naachtun [1].