Maya Region

A number of well-known and historically important pre-Columbian Maya archaeological sites are found in Belize, considered part of the southern Maya lowlands of the Mesoamerican culture area. The sites found here were occupied until the arrival of the Spanish.

El Salvador has five archaeological parks plus a Mesoamerican site. The Yucatán Peninsula and the Petén Basin/Maya Forest region of Belize, Guatemala and Mexico have become synonymous with Maya ruins; however, there are several sites in El Salvador of importance.

The Maya region is the largest in Mesoamerica. The region is generally divided into three loosely defined zones within Guatemala, Belize and Mexico: the southern Maya highlands, the southern Maya lowlands and the northern Maya lowlands.

Discovered in 1570, the ruins of Copán in western Honduras is one of the most important sites of the Mayan civilization. The ruined citadel and imposing public squares reveal the three main stages of development before the city was abandoned in the early 10th century.

The Petén Basin is a geographical subregion of Mesoamerica and was a center of Maya civilizations. It is primarily located in northern Guatemala and southeastern Mexico. The Maya Forest is the second-largest remaining tropical rainforest in the Americas.