Sites of the Maya Civilization

For more than a thousand years, the Maya civilization flourished in what are now the modern nations of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, and El Salvador, building great cities with monumental architecture connected by a vast network of roads and rivers.

Today, thousands of archaeological sites dot the region, vestiges of this ancient civilization, which reached its apogee between a.d. 250 and 800. They are a testament to the engineering skill and artistry of a people whose descendants continue to live in the shadow of these impressive monuments.

Many well-known Maya sites, such as Chichén Itzá in Mexico, Copán in Honduras, and Tikal in Guatemala, have been excavated, consolidated, and opened to the public on a grand scale. Others, however, languish, engulfed in vegetation, pillaged by looters, and threatened by industrial development. Uncontrolled tourism, poor site management, inappropriate restoration, and wholesale reconstruction have also taken their toll.

Over the past decade, more than a dozen Maya sites have entered WMF’s portfolio, prompting us to launch a new initiative, the goal of which is to develop a comprehensive strategy for preserving this extraordinary cultural legacy.

View a slideshow of Maya sites.


Read more in Maya Marvels at Risk or A River Runs Through (pdf)