Naranjo is a Pre-Columbian

Maya Maya may refer to: Civilizations * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (Ethiopia), a populat ...

city in the

Petén Basin The Petén Basin is a geographical subregion of Mesoamerica, primarily located in northern Guatemala within the Department of El Petén, and into Campeche state in southeastern Mexico. During the Late Preclassic and Classic periods of pre-Colum ...

region of

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

. It was occupied from about 500 BC to 950 AD, with its height in the Late Classic Period. The site is part of Yaxha-Nakum-Naranjo National Park. The city lies along the Mopan and

Holmul Holmul is a pre-Columbian archaeological site of the Maya civilization located in the northeastern Petén Basin region in Guatemala near the modern-day border with Belize. Location In spite of its relatively modest size, Holmul was important t ...

rivers, and is about 50 km east of the site of

Tikal Tikal () (''Tik’al'' in modern Mayan orthography) is the ruin of an ancient city, which was likely to have been called Yax Mutal, found in a rainforest in Guatemala. It is one of the largest archeological sites and urban centers of the pre-Co ...

. Naranjo has been the victim of severe looting. The site is known for its polychrome ceramic style "Naranjo" in Spanish means "Orange Tree", which in turn derives from the Mayan name Wak Kab'nal. The emblem glyph of the Naranjo is transliterated as Sa'aal “the place where (maize) gruel abounds.” The Naranjo dynastic rulers are said to be the "Holy Lords of Sa'aal."

Layout of site

The area of Naranjo covers at least 8 km² with the urban center covering about 2.25 km². There are currently 389 recorded buildings in the central area and over 900 around the center. The epicenter consists of six triadic complexes, two ballcourts, two palace compounds, and one

E-group E-Groups are unique architectural complexes found among a number of ancient Maya settlements. They are central components to the settlement organization of Maya sites and, like many other civic and ceremonial buildings, could have served for astr ...

. C-9 is the largest triadic complex in the city. Structure C-9 is the complexes main pyramid, and the Largest at the site. Because it occupies the top of a natural hill with a cave located inside, it is a perfect place to be categorized as a ‘sacred mountain’. A hieroglyphic stairway, that is believed to have been taken from Caracol, was added to structure B-18 sometime in the seventh century AD.

Archaeological preservation work

The site was first mapped and photographed by

Teoberto Maler Teobert Maler, later Teoberto (12 January 1842 – 22 November 1917) was an explorer who devoted his energies to documenting the ruins of the Maya civilization. Biography Teobert Maler was born in Rome to German parents. His father was a diplo ...

in 1905, who was sent by The Peabody Museum of

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. In 1908 Maler excavated the hieroglyphic stairway from structure B-18, parts of which are now housed in the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

in London. In the 1910s, further investigations of the site were made by

Sylvanus G. Morley Sylvanus Griswold Morley (June 7, 1883September 2, 1948) was an American archaeologist and epigrapher who studied the pre-Columbian Maya civilization in the early 20th century. Morley led extensive excavations of the Maya site of Chichen Itza ...

and Oliver Ricketson. Investigations of the site of

Xunantunich Xunantunich () is an Ancient Maya archaeological site in western Belize, about 70 miles (110 km) west of Belize City, in the Cayo District. Xunantunich is located atop a ridge above the Mopan River, well within sight of the Guatemala bord ...

suggests that it was part of Naranjo's realm. By the 1920s, many of the ancient sculptures had already disappeared. The problem worsened in the 1960s, when many of the site's large sculptures were smashed into fragments by looters in order to sneak them out of the country. In 1972-1973, 19 stela were taken from Naranjo by the Department of Prehispanic Monuments of the IDAEH to be protected from looters. From 1997 to 2001 the site was controlled by looters. From 2002 to 2004, a project was undertaken to evaluate the extent of the looting which found about 270 tunnels and trenches. Archaeologist Vilma Fialko has been instrumental in this project. A conservation project by the Ministry of Culture and Sport began in 2002. In 2006 Naranjo was added to the World Monuments Watch. In 2013, a building from about 600 AD was found at nearby

with a giant stucco frieze showing a central ruler and two flanking ones in repose. The frieze is very well preserved. Below it runs a long inscription from which it appears that the construction was commissioned by Aj Wosal of Naranjo. At the time, Naranjo was subordinated to the Kaanul dynasty of

Dzibanche Dzibanche () (sometimes spelt Tz'ibanche)Martin and Grube 2000, p. 103. is an archaeological site of the ancient Maya civilization located in southern Quintana Roo, in the Yucatan Peninsula of southeastern Mexico.Martini 2010, p. 377. Dzibanche w ...

and

Calakmul Calakmul (; also Kalakmul and other less frequent variants) is a Maya archaeological site in the Mexican state of Campeche, deep in the jungles of the greater Petén Basin region. It is from the Guatemalan border. Calakmul was one of the large ...

.Giant Maya Carvings Found in Guatemala.
AUGUST 07, 2013, nationalgeographic.com

History

The history of Naranjo includes several major disturbances in the dynastic rule when allegiances and identities of local kings were subject to change. Texts at the site record a mythical founding of the city by its patron god. Not much is known about the site before the ruler Ah Wosaaj Chan K'inich who came to power in 546 AD. The sites of La Sufricaya and Holmul to the north of Naranjo were involved in the establishment of the new political order in Peten after the arrival of Sihyaj K’ahk' in AD 378. It is plausible to assume that Naranjo might also be under the sway of Sihyaj K'ahk's hegemony and later Tikal rulers. If there were any monuments from that time, they were destroyed and/or cached. In 546 AD Naranjo came under the control of

whose ruler Tuun Kab Hix appointed Ah Wosaaj Chan K'inich. This was a deliberate move by Calakmul to take allies away from

. Ah Wosaaj was involved in infrastructure improvements to the city such as the paving of a road in July 559, according to Altar 2. In 626 two attacks were made on Naranjo by

Caracol Caracol is a large ancient Maya archaeological site, located in what is now the Cayo District, of Belize. It is situated approximately south of Xunantunich, and the town of San Ignacio, and from the Macal River. It rests on the Vaca Plateau ...

. Naranjo was then retaken by Calakmul in 631. During the administration of

K'ahk' Xiiw Chan Chaahk K'ahk' Xiiw Chan Chaahk (ruled c. 644 CE to c. 680 CE) was a Maya ruler of Naranjo who suffered a defeat by Caracol, probably in 680 CE. He is sometimes known as K'ahk' Skull Chan Chaak, a nickname bestowed by archaeologists before they could read ...

, Naranjo defeated Caracol in a "

star war A star war was a decisive conflict between rival polities of the Maya civilization during the first millennium AD. The term comes from a specific type of glyph used in the Maya script, which depicts a star showering the earth with liquid droplets, ...

" sending Caracol into a hiatus period, but by 680 Caracol had apparently recovered and eliminated K'ahk' Xiiw. In 682 AD, Calakmul sent

Lady Six Sky Lady Six Sky (possibly Ix Wak Chan Jalam Ajaw Lem? in ancient Mayan), also known as Lady Wac Chanil Ahau or Wak Chanil Ajaw (d. 741 CE), was a Maya queen of Naranjo who was born in Dos Pilas. She lived in Naranjo from 682 to her death (or shortl ...

, possibly Ix Wak Chan Jalam Lem in ancient Maya, to reestablish the Naranjo dynasty. Her arrival is written on Stela 24 found in front of Structure C-7. Lady Six Sky was the daughter of the

Dos Pilas Dos Pilas is a Pre-Columbian site of the Maya civilization located in what is now the department of Petén, Guatemala. It dates to the Late Classic Period, and was founded by an offshoot of the dynasty of the great city of Tikal in AD ...

ruler B'ahlaj Chan K'awiil. While never officially made a ruler, Lady Six Sky performed as a ruler, possibly as regent for her son K'ahk' Tiliw Chan Chaahk who acceded in 693 AD at the age of five. This relationship is made explicit on Naranjo Stela 46. Between 693 and 698 AD Naranjo carried out a series of at least eight attacks, likely under the auspices of Lady Six Sky, defeating Tikal in 695 AD and

Ucanal Ucanal is an archaeological site of the ancient Maya civilization. It is located near the source of the Belize River in the Petén department of present-day northern Guatemala. Location Ucanal is located inside a bend of the Mopan River. It is ...

in 698 AD. K'ak' Tiliw Chan Chaak began another series of attacks in 706 AD including the defeat of

Yaxha Yaxha (or Yaxhá in Spanish orthography) is a Mesoamerican archaeological site in the northeast of the Petén Basin region, and a former ceremonial centre and city of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. Yaxha was the third largest city in the reg ...

in 710 AD. Lady Six Sky died in 741 AD. She is depicted on stelae including 3, 18, 24, 29, and 31. Naranjo was defeated by Tikal in 744 AD and the ruler, Yax Mayuy Chan Chaahk, was taken captive and likely sacrificed during Tikal's victory celebrations. However, this wasn't the end of the city's written history. Later kings include Itzamnaaj? K'awiil, who fought against Yaxha and, in 790, repaved the road established by Ah Wosaaj, according to Altar 2. Naranjo's final abandonment may have been the result of political turmoil and a severe drought dated to 810 AD.

Known rulers

References and sources

;References ;Sources * * * *"El Naranjo" authenticmaya.com Guatemala-Cradle of the Mayan Civilization, 28 Jan. 2011 Web. 29 Apr. 2012 *"Naranjo, Central highlands." authenticmaya.com Guatemala-Cradle of the Mayan Civilization, 28 Jan. 2011 Web. 29 Apr. 2012

External links

Description and Photo Galleries
{{Authority control Maya sites in Petén Department Archaeological sites in Guatemala Former populated places in Guatemala Classic period in Mesoamerica