Ixtonton
Ixtonton is a Maya archaeological site in the department of Petén in northern Guatemala.
[2] For the majority of its history Ixtonton was the most important city in the upper Mopan Valley, with its only rivals emerging in the Late Classic (c.
[5] The acropolis at Ixtonton is laid out around two plazas on top of an artificially modified karstic hill.
[7] The site is bordered to the north and the east by the Mopan River, while to the south the terrain is characterised by savanna and pine forest (of the species Pinus caribaea).
[10] From that time onwards Ixtonton was the most important city in the Dolores Valley and a large portion of the Maya Mountains, and it had no serious challenger throughout the Early Classic period.
[12] The site covers an approximate area of 6 square kilometres (2.3 sq mi), with its borders not clearly demarked but rather a gradual phasing into neighbouring centres.
[13] The principal architecture is grouped around two plazas upon a massive basal platform,[10] itself set upon a karstic hill.
[10] Ballcourt I is located to the northwest of the E-Group complex near to the North Causeway and dates to the Late Classic.
[18] The western structure is in somewhat better condition, with two major looters' pits, but is also badly damaged and heavily eroded.
[19] The E-Group consists of an East Platform supporting a central temple and flanked by two smaller shrines.
[20] The badly fragmented remains of a plain stela were found in a symmetrical position on the south side of the base of the central stairway.
[23] It was built from broken stone, maintaining it level in spite of the hilly terrain, with the more elevated portions of causeway being contained by reinforced walls.
[8] Group 2 is located to the northwest of the ceremonial core of the site, upon a hill that may have been artificially modified.
[15] It supports a number of mounds enclosing a raised plaza, in some cases parts of the walls are visible.
[17] It was accessed from the West Causeway via a stairway and included the tallest architecture among the peripheral groups of the site, with one structure standing over 8.5 metres (28 ft) tall.
Relatively abundant finds associated with Group 28 included ceramics, stone artefacts, worked bone and antler tools.
It was fashioned from limestone and sculpted on one side only, with four columns of poorly preserved hieroglyphic script.
The remains were those of an adult male deposited upon his back in a cist measuring 1.8 by 0.42 metres (5.9 by 1.4 ft).
The remains were deposited lying curled on their left side in a cist measuring 0.95 by 0.55 metres (3.1 by 1.8 ft).
