La Amelia is a Pre-Columbian Maya archaeological site near Itzan, in the lower Pasión River region of the Petén Department of Guatemala.

It formed a polity in the Late Classic (AD 600 to 830), and was involved in the war between Tikal and Calakmul followed, in 650, by La Amelia's takeover by Dos Pilas.

[2] La Amelia was a subordinate site in the Classic Period Petexbatún kingdom of Mutal that was first ruled from Dos Pilas and then from Aguateca.

That project documented several carved stone monuments, and created a partial site map which was published by Sylvanus Morley in his 1938 volume The Inscriptions of Peten.

During the summer 1997 field season, the La Amelia Archaeological Project completed mapping of the central site area and excavated several test units.

[16] The "Group of the Hieroglyphic Stairway" is situated 0.5 kilometres (0.31 mi)north of the main plaza, in the northwest quadrant of the site, and was constructed principally by terracing and flattening the summit of a natural hill.

[18] When Edwin M. Shook of the Carnegie Institution first documented the site of La Amelia in 1937, he noted the presence of six hieroglyphic blocks which functioned as risers along the uppermost level of the monolithic stairway.

[24] The four carved steps featuring human figures from the Hieroglyphic Stairway at La Amelia all display images of simply-dressed males, who were likely ancestors of the site's ruler.

[26] The carved panels which originally flanked the Hieroglyphic Stairway at La Amelia depict dancing rulers in full ceremonial costume, as well as glyphic texts.