Nojpetén

[1] The island is now occupied by the modern town of Flores, the capital of the Petén department,[2] and has had uninterrupted occupation since pre-Columbian times.

[3] Nojpetén had defensive walls built upon the low ground of the island, which may have been hastily constructed by the Itza at a time when they felt threatened either by the encroaching Spanish or by other Maya groups.

It had nine stepped levels and faced northward; it appeared very similar in design to the principal pyramids at Chichen Itza and Mayapan in Yucatán.

[16] Martín de Ursúa y Arismendi arrived at the western shore of Lake Petén Itzá in February 1697 with 235 Spanish soldiers and 120 native labourers.

[17][18] He launched an all-out assault using a large oar-powered attack boat on 10 March; the Spanish bombardment of the island caused heavy loss of life among the Itza defenders, who were forced to abandon the city.

[18] In 2003–2004, archaeological excavations were carried out to accompany a major infrastructure project on the island to develop its water supply and sewage systems.

The earliest occupation was identified on the highest part of the island, in front of what is now the departmental governor's offices, and dates as far back as the Middle Preclassic period, c. 900–600 BC.