Ujuxte

Ujuxte is the largest Preclassic Maya site found on the Guatemalan Pacific coast, located in the Retalhuleu Department. Spanning approximately 200 hectares, the site is composed of around two hundred earthen mounds, with a central plaza featuring two prominent mounds and an early ballcourt. The site's central plaza is noted for its celestial alignments with the Pleiades and the rising sun during solstices, suggesting its role as a ceremonial center. Founded around 1200 BCE, Ujuxte was occupied until approximately 200 CE, when it was abandoned in favor of the nearby Takalik Abaj. The site's discovery has provided significant insights into the early and middle Preclassic periods along the Pacific coastal plain of Guatemala, illustrating the growth and decline of early states in the region.