Quirigua (Parque Arqueológico y Ruinas de Quiriguá)

Quiriguá is an ancient Maya archaeological site in the department of Izabal in south-eastern Guatemala [1]. It is a medium-sized site covering approximately 3 square kilometres along the lower Motagua River, with the ceremonial center about 1 km from the north bank [1]. All construction had halted by about 850, except for a brief period of reoccupation in the Early Postclassic (c. 900 – c. 1200) [1]. Quiriguá's rapid expansion in the 8th century was tied to king K'ak' Tiliw Chan Yopaat's military victory over Copán in 738 [1]. The ceremonial architecture at Quiriguá is quite modest, but the site's importance lies in its wealth of sculpture, including the tallest stele erected in the Mayan world [1]. The monuments at Quiriguá include unusually large stelae elaborately carved from single blocks of red sandstone, brought from quarries 5 kilometres away [1].