Xultun

Xultun, anciently known as B'aax Witz ('Quartz Mountain'), is a major Maya city 40 km northeast of Tikal in Guatemala's Peten province. Its largest pyramid (Structure B-7) has a 45-meter-square base rising 24 meters. First documented by the Carnegie Institution in 1920, the site yielded one of the most significant Maya discoveries: a room covered with murals and the oldest known Maya astronomical calendar, found during 2008 excavations led by William Saturno of Boston University. The site suffered heavy looting in the 1960s-70s, with over 50 trenches scarring the ruins and four major stelae removed. Military guards now protect the site around the clock.