Zapote Bobal

Zapote Bobal is a pre-Columbian Maya site in the Peten department of Guatemala, discovered by Ian Graham in the 1970s. Built atop a levelled hill 1 km long and 700 m wide, the site contains a royal palace, temple-pyramids, and over 400 structures within a 2.5 km radius. It served as the capital of the Hix Witz kingdom during the Late Classic period (AD 600-800), ruled by kings bearing variations of the name Chan Ahk ('Sky Turtle'). Epigrapher David Stuart connected the site in 2003 to a polity frequently mentioned in inscriptions at Piedras Negras and Yaxchilan, revealing its role as a contested crossroads kingdom.