Punta de Chimino

Punta de Chimino is a Maya archaeological site in the Petexbatún region of the department of Petén in Guatemala [1]. Occupation at the site dates to the Preclassic and Classic periods of Mesoamerican chronology [1]. The site is located on a peninsula on the western side of Lake Petexbatún [1]. In the Late Classic a series of defensive ditches were excavated across the base of this peninsula in order to fortify the site [1]. The site is one of very few locations in the Pasión drainage to have erected major architecture during the Terminal Classic, including a corbel-vaulted temple, large palace platforms and a very large ballcourt [1]. The neck of the peninsula was fortified with three moats, one of which was 12 metres deep, each moat was topped by a palisaded wall [1]. The area between these moats was used for intensive agriculture and included box gardens divided by crude stone walls [1].