El Chal is a pre-Columbian Maya archaeological site located in the upper San Juan River valley of the southeastern Petén Basin region, Guatemala.

[2] The Late Preclassic occupation of the city was concentrated around an E-Group ceremonial complex some 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) north of the later site core.

[1] The archaeological site is within the southern area of the village and municipal seat also named El Chal,[5] 600 metres (2,000 ft) to the south of the highway to Flores.

[9] Modern houses had previously also occupied the outskirts of the acropolis but were relocated during the Guatemalan Civil War in the late 20th century due to guerrilla activity.

[4] All hieroglyphic texts sculpted on monuments at El Chal date to the 8th century AD, although the inscriptions are heavily eroded.

[14] Postclassic Period occupation of El Chal has been identified from ceramic fragments recovered from Structure 1 in the Northwest Plaza.

[7] In 1975, the Department of Prehispanic Monuments at IDAEH designated it as a protected site covering roughly 0.07 square kilometres (0.027 sq mi).

[22] The large ritual complex of El Chal was located a considerable distance to the northeast of the civic centre of the city and was probably first built in the Preclassic Period.

[36] Evidence of this is the fact that the structures in the group were divided into multiple rooms with internal benches,[36] a form of architecture that is recognised as being a palace and that may serve for either elite domestic or administrative activity.

[37] The stone blocks used in construction measured approximately 40 centimetres (16 in) on each side with a finely dressed front face, tapering towards the back in order to grip the structural fill.

[2] Finds dating to the Middle Preclassic were recovered from trenches sunk into the patio in front of the structure, consisting of 378 potsherds associated with Burial 265.

[44] An incomplete human skeleton was found next to the south wall (Burial 73), together with broken ceramic fragments dating to the Terminal Classic.

[45] The first construction phase included a 1-metre (3.3 ft) high wall that was later covered by the stucco floor of a small north-facing room.

[63] The stairway is on the west side, facing onto Patio G.[65] The structure is believed to have been built in a single burst of activity in the Terminal Classic.

[70] The East Plaza covers an area of 6,300 square metres (68,000 sq ft),[7] making it the largest open ceremonial space in the entire city.

[7] During the final phase of occupation during the Terminal Classic, refuse found at the base of the acropolis indicates that the West Plaza was occupied as a residential area, with the inhabitants using flimsy perishable structures.

[82] Various artefacts were recovered from the southwest corner of the final stage of the stairway, including pieces of flint, obsidian blades, metates (milling stones) and a large amount of domestic ceramics.

[94] The stairway and the upper parts of the structure were deliberately destroyed in antiquity, leaving only the lower courses of stonework in place.

[98] At the same time a small bench-type structure was attached to the west side of the platform in order to widen the lower level of the building.

[103] The architectural quality of the pyramid was poor, as demonstrated by the small, irregular blocks used in construction, and it has been badly damaged by the collapse of its sides.

[103] Architectural detail has been largely obliterated by the pyramid's poor state of preservation, but inset corners have been identified on the north and south sides.

[18] Group 15 Structure 5 was found to have a midden near the northwest corner from which were excavated a large amount of Terminal Classic potsherds together with a few pieces dating to the Postclassic Period.

[116] The architectural groups of the Arrepentimiento Sector are residential in nature, with low platforms measuring between 10 and 40 centimetres (3.9 and 15.7 in) high laid out around patios with alignments of uncut stones.

[116] This sector is located within the lands owned by Finca Panorama, some 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from El Chal along the highway towards Santa Elena.

[116] Panorama Sector occupies an area of cattle pasture with very few trees but a great many Corozo Palms, the fruit of which is used locally to produce vegetable oil.

[116] The northern part of the sector possesses a number of hills upon which residential groups were built, while towards the south the land descends towards an area of unoccupied seasonal swamps.

[118] The group has been tentatively identified as a stone workshop due to the great quantity of waste product found there, and it may have produced flint cores.

[23] The stela is broken into various fragments and was sculpted with a rectangular frame containing the portrait of a standing person with an elaborate feathered headdress, holding a staff in his right hand.

[122] It was sculpted with a rounded frame containing the figure of a person facing left and accompanied by a badly eroded and completely illegible hieroglyphic text.

[24] The text also contains the name of the king who dedicated the stela, Shield Jaguar, and the Emblem Glyph of El Chal.