Topoxte (/tɒpɒʃtˈɛ/) (or Topoxté in Spanish orthography) is a pre-Columbian Maya archaeological site in the Petén Basin in northern Guatemala with a long occupational history dating as far back as the Middle Preclassic.

[4] Topoxte occupies five of a cluster of six islands at the western end of Lake Yaxha in the municipality of Melchor de Mencos in the eastern part of the Guatemalan department of Petén.

[8] The closest town is Flores, the capital of the Petén department, 52 kilometres (32 mi) to the west as the crow flies.

[13] However, evidence for Middle Preclassic occupation is scarce and is largely confined to the Main Plaza on Topoxte Island.

[14] Burial 49, which dates to AD 750, indicates a marriage of the Lady Twelve Guacamaya from Topoxte with a prince from Tikal.

[16] Topoxte was an important site in the Postclassic and had close ties with the city of Mayapan in the north of the Yucatán Peninsula.

[3] This may represent a revival of the katun-ending ceremonies that occurred in the Classic Period, again reflecting ties with the northern Yucatán.

[7] However, it has been suggested that their indigenous guides deliberately led them via a neighbouring lake in order to mislead them into thinking that the Yaxhá region was uninhabited.

Sylvanus Morley visited Topoxte in 1914, describing the sculptured stelae of the site, including 2 on Cante Island.

In 1933 Cyrus L. Lundell and L. C. Stuart made a new plan of the main plaza and assigned the nomenclature to the structures that is still used today.

[23] PRONAT (Proyecto Nacional Tikal) undertook clearing and restoration work at Topoxte in 1989, including the erection of scaffolding and a protective roof on Building C, the main temple.

[26] 68 structures have been identified on Paxte, mostly low rectangular platforms built from unworked limestone, presumably the remains of domestic buildings.

[26] Topoxte Island had a surge in construction activity in the Postclassic suggesting a population influx at this time, in parallel to an equivalent influx into the area of Lake Petén Itzá region in response to the collapse of Chichen Itza in the north of the Yucatán Peninsula.

[28] The ceremonial architecture at Topoxte includes two major periods of construction in the Late Postclassic and closely reflects that at Zacpeten, another Kowoj site, and also seems to be linked to activity at Mayapan.

[12] There are three distinctive groups at the site, two 5 meter tall platforms, and a low residential area consisting of more than 100 structures.

The site's central plaza is bounded by 3 temples constructed in the Postclassic architectural style similar to structures at Mayapan (incorporating vertical walls, columns and flat stone ceilings).

[7] The site was laid out in a manner very similar to the contemporary site of Tayasal on Lake Petén Itzá, now covered by the modern town of Flores, with buildings on the north, south and east side of the main plaza and the west side open to the lake and the sunset.

[32] It is roughly rectangular with a surface area of approximately 1,410 square metres (15,200 sq ft), it is one of the highest plazas on the island.

[32] The Main Plaza was the focus of activity from very early in the history of the site, with an offering dating to the Middle Preclassic being found in front of Building E and further Middle Preclassic evidence being found in deep levels in front of Building D.[33] However, the plaza did not reach its maximum size until the Postclassic.

[35] Building C was built upon a previous structure dating to the end of the Late Preclassic or the beginning of the Early Classic.

[43] It was excavated in a possible residential patio among a group of small buildings at the south end of Topoxte island.

[47] Burial 6 was partially excavated from the extreme southeastern edge of the island, the remains are those of an adult and were apparently interred outside of the limits of the urban area of the site.

[51] A second skull was found interred with the burial, belonging to an adult female of similar age to the principal remains.

[50] The remains were interred with a prismatic blade of grey obsidian, they were found in a columned building in the extreme north of Topoxte island.

[53] Burial 10 was found in the northern extreme of Topoxte island, the remains are those of an adult male and date to the Postclassic.

[55] Burial 12 is located to the south of a low residential platform, upon an artificial terrace in the north of Topoxte island.

Some of these items may actually be rubbish dumped on top of the burial, with only the inverted vessel being a definite offering associated with the human remains.

[62] Burial 16 was found under a patio in the central area of Topoxte island, to the east of some relatively tall structures.

[63] Burial 17 were excavated from an artificial terrace in east of the centre of Topoxte island, immediately to the southeast of a residential complex.

[70] Both individuals are adult males of between 17 and 25 years of age, with offerings consisting of a shell and various pieces of worked stone including flint, limestone and jasper.