To the northwest of the site stands one of Yaxhá's most ancient constructions, the Greater Astronomical Complex (Plaza F). The arrangement includes an observation tower (unexcavated) facing a three-part platform for tracking the sun's trajectory through the year. You can ascend the pyramidal tower (there's a wooden staircase alongside) for jaw-dropping views of the North Acropolis to the northeast, with a formidable temple rising above the jungle foliage.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
17.48 MILES
Set on a leveled hilltop, Xunantunich (shoo-nahn-too-neech) is one of Belize's most easily accessible and impressive Maya archaeological sites. Getting…
28.38 MILES
Once one of the most powerful cities in the entire Maya world, Caracol now lies enshrouded by thick jungle near the Guatemalan border, a 52-mile, roughly…
Green Iguana Conservation Project
22.85 MILES
On the lush Macal Valley grounds of the San Ignacio Resort Hotel, this excellent program collects and hatches iguana eggs, raising the reptiles until they…
0.25 MILES
The Classic Maya sites of Yaxhá, Nakum and El Naranjo form a triangle that is the basis for a national park covering more than 37,000 hectares and…
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17.66 MILES
Templo I, the Templo del Gran Jaguar (Temple of the Grand Jaguar), was built to honor – and bury – Ah Cacao. The king may have worked out the plans for…
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18.09 MILES
Templo IV, at 65m, is the highest building at Tikal and the second-highest pre-Columbian building known in the western hemisphere, after La Danta at El…
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17.55 MILES
The most striking feature of Tikal is its towering, steep-sided temples, rising to heights of more than 44m, but what distinguishes it is its jungle…
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East Acropolis & Structure 216
0.44 MILES
Near the site entrance is the high point of Yaxhá (literally): Structure 216 in the East Acropolis. Also called the Temple of the Red Hands, because red…
Nearby El Petén attractions
0.13 MILES
The trio of pyramidal temples at the North Acropolis are built atop older structures dating back to 100 BC. Comprising of seven platforms, the…
0.13 MILES
A complex of palatial structures from which Yaxhá's aristocracy could watch the games going on in the ball court below.
0.15 MILES
An unremarkable part of the site, located to the east of the North Acropolis.
0.25 MILES
The Classic Maya sites of Yaxhá, Nakum and El Naranjo form a triangle that is the basis for a national park covering more than 37,000 hectares and…
6. Plaza de las Sombras (Grupo Maler)
0.31 MILES
The Plaza de las Sombras (aka Grupo Maler) is where archaeologists believe throngs of citizens once gathered for religious ceremonies.
7. Lesser Astronomical Complex (Plaza C)
0.41 MILES
Plaza C, the first group of buildings you come to on entering Yaxhá, is one of a pair of astronomical observatories; the Greater Astronomical Complex …
0.42 MILES
This largely unexcavated complex consists of two identical pyramids facing each other across a lawn. Similar to one of the arrangements at Tikal, it is…