Río Azul facts for kids

Río Azul is an important archaeological site from the ancient Maya civilization. It is located in the Río Azul National Park in northern Guatemala, near the borders of Mexico and Belize. Río Azul sits southeast of the Azul river. It was most powerful during the Early Classic period, from about AD 250 to 600.

The first big buildings at Río Azul were made around 500 BC, during the Late Preclassic period (about 350 BC – AD 250). Later, in the late 300s AD, the city of Tikal and its strong ally Teotihuacan from central Mexico took control of Río Azul. Tikal used Río Azul to protect an important trade route to the Caribbean Sea. This also helped Tikal challenge Calakmul, its main rival. The city was mostly left empty in the 500s AD. But it became important again in the Late Classic period (about AD 600–900), probably because people from Kinal moved back there.

Where is Río Azul?

The ancient city is located right southeast of the Río Azul (which means "Blue River"). It sits on a low hill in the far northeast part of the Petén region. On its eastern side, Río Azul is surrounded by connected long structures and swamps. A man-made ditch forms its southern border.

Río Azul is about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) north of the Late Classic ruins of Kinal. It's also about 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) west of the ruins of La Milpa and 60 kilometers (37.3 miles) northeast of Tikal. Río Azul's location was key because it controlled a trade route along a smaller river that flowed into the Hondo River. This river was a very important way to reach the Caribbean Sea.

Who Lived at Río Azul?

Río Azul had the most people living there between AD 390 and 540. At that time, about 3,500 people called it home. The leaders lived in fancy palace buildings in the city center. Their homes included large families and their helpers. Most of the people lived right in the city, with about 2,700 people per square kilometer (6,993 per square mile).

Farmers made up about 31% of the population, and other workers made up 57%. They had to work for their leaders, similar to a feudal system. This unusual way of having so many people living close together might be because Río Azul was a city on the edge of a territory, like a fortress. When the city grew again in the Late Classic period, the number of people living in the BA-20 area, which used to be on the outskirts, reached about 300 people per square kilometer (777 per square mile). Between AD 692 and 830, the total population at Río Azul again reached about 3,500 people, with 2,500 of them in the BA-20 area.

Important Rulers

Archaeologists have given one ruler from Río Azul the nickname "Six Sky." He was an important leader in the early 400s AD. Some experts think that Six Sky might have been the son of Siyaj Chan K'awiil II, who was a king of Tikal.

History of Río Azul

People first settled at Río Azul around 900 BC, during the Middle Preclassic period. The city grew a lot during the Late Preclassic period, when many large temples were built. These temples date back to about 500 BC. In the Preclassic period, people lived spread out along the east bank of the river. But in the Late Preclassic and Early Classic periods, more and more people started to live closer together on the hill.

In the late 300s AD, the powerful city of Tikal took control of Río Azul. Archaeologists found sculptures on three round altars from AD 385 that show the sacrifice of at least eight important people. This might mean that the local leaders were sacrificed after Tikal and its allies from Teotihuacan took over. A powerful warrior from Teotihuacan named Siyaj K'ak' is mentioned in a carving at Río Azul from AD 393. This was during the time of King Yax Nuun Ayiin I of Tikal. The military clothes of King Yax Nuun Ayiin I, shown on monuments at both Tikal and Río Azul, along with other ancient writings, connect the Tikal king to what happened at Río Azul then.

Tikal's control over Río Azul at this time would have protected an important trade route to the Caribbean Sea. This also challenged Calakmul, Tikal's big rival, which used the Hondo River for its own sea route. This move into Calakmul's area led to a time of strong competition between the two powers. This competition eventually caused Río Azul to decline. During the Early Classic period, the nearby site of La Milpa was probably under Río Azul's control.

The city became much smaller in the 500s AD, near the end of the Early Classic period. It might even have been completely abandoned then. This time matches a period of fighting between Tikal and Calakmul. There is proof that Río Azul was purposely damaged during this time. Calakmul likely took over the city because of its alliance with Tikal and its control over the Caribbean trade route. Río Azul was settled again during the Late Classic period, probably led by Kinal. The population lived mostly in the homes, and not many new buildings were constructed. Pottery found at Río Azul shows that Maya trade routes still went through the city in the 800s AD. However, the city was completely abandoned by AD 880.

Modern Discoveries

The ruins of Río Azul were found in 1962 by Trinidad Pech. Soon after, many valuable tombs of important people were robbed by looters. The looters dug big ditches through the most important temples. At the worst time of the looting in the late 1970s, as many as 80 workers were paid by a rich collector to dig.

Archaeologist Ian Graham went to Río Azul in 1981 to check on rumors of the looting and record the damage. Because of his report, the government of Guatemala placed guards at the site. Richard Adams began official studies of Río Azul in 1983. He started the five-year Río Azul Project, which ended in 1987. This project looked into and recorded more than 125 ditches and tunnels made by looters.

What Río Azul Looks Like

The site covers an area of about 1.3 square kilometers (0.5 square miles). It includes about 729 main buildings from the 400s and 500s AD. The most important buildings are found close together in the central 0.5 square kilometers (0.2 square miles) of the city center. The tallest temple stands 15 meters (49 feet) high. The main buildings were put up under the direction of the rulers who were put in place by Tikal and its Teotihuacan allies.

Building styles from Teotihuacan include the talud-tablero design, which has sloped and flat parts. The main groups of buildings in the city center were connected by paved open areas and causeways (raised roads). Smaller palaces and homes were spread out among the main groups. Río Azul has nine main building groups in its center. Each group includes homes for important people and their related burial pyramids. The city has 39 formal courtyards with their connected buildings. Three chultunob (underground storage rooms) were found in the city center.

Structure A-3 was a large temple. Three carved altars from the Early Classic period were found buried under it. They showed scenes of human sacrifice. This temple was built when Río Azul was at its peak, between 390 and 530 AD.

BA-20 Group

The BA-20 Group is located a few kilometers northeast of the city center. It has four platforms from the Late Preclassic period. This group was already empty when Río Azul was at its biggest. No remains from the Early Classic period have been found near BA-20. The group was settled again during the Late Classic period, when Río Azul was repopulated. It's thought that about 2,500 people lived in this group between AD 692 and 830.

The total area of the group is estimated to be 7 to 8 square kilometers (2.7 to 3.1 square miles). Archaeologists mapped and dug in only 0.8 square kilometers (0.3 square miles) of this area. In the mapped area, they found 275 buildings and 30 chultunob. Almost all the buildings in this group were homes. The chultunob were likely used for storing food, which supports the idea that this group was mainly a residential area.

Stone Monuments (Stelae)

Stela 1 was found near Structure A-3. It has a date carved on it that means AD 392. It also mentions one of Río Azul's kings. By the 800s AD, this stela was inside a small shrine. The shrine was half-filled with broken pottery around AD 850. This suggests a big, sudden event in the region that quickly ended the Maya elite culture there. Stela 1 faces west and is 5.4 meters (17.7 feet) tall, including 0.9 meters (3 feet) buried underground. It is 1.3 meters (4.3 feet) wide and 0.6 meters (2 feet) thick. The monument has carvings on three sides and still has traces of red paint.

Stela 2 is from the Late Classic period. It has a carved text that mentions an important visitor from La Milpa. This was at a time when Río Azul was no longer as powerful. It was found near Structure B-XI and faces south. It is 3.3 meters (10.8 feet) high, with 0.6 meters (2 feet) buried. The monument is 1.2 meters (3.9 feet) wide and 0.6 meters (2 feet) thick. It has carvings on all four sides and traces of red and green paint. The monument was put up in AD 690 and mentions the birth of a Río Azul ruler in 661.

Stela 3 is from the Early Classic period and was found near Structure F1. It is 3.2 meters (10.5 feet) high, with 2.3 meters (7.5 feet) above ground. The monument is 1.1 meters (3.6 feet) wide and 0.6 meters (2 feet) thick. It faces west and has carvings on three sides. Stela 3 still has traces of red paint. It was already badly damaged when it was found in 1983. Even though no written text remains on it, the way a figure is shown with feet pointing to the left is common for Early Classic monuments.

Stela 4 was put up around AD 840. The researcher Richard E. W. Adams has connected this monument to the Puuc Maya style.

Tombs and Burials

Río Azul is known for its many fancy tombs. Some of these tombs have a special arched ceiling called a corbel vault. The tombs were dug out of the limestone rock, and their walls were painted red and black. Looters found many tomb chambers under Structure A-3 and took most of the items from inside. The walls of these chambers were painted with ancient Maya writings.

Archaeologists have studied more than thirty tombs at Río Azul. All of them date from the Late Preclassic to the Early Classic periods, covering a few centuries. Pictures related to water are often seen in the royal tombs. These pictures are linked to the idea of the dead person's soul going into the underworld.

Tomb 1 was built into Structure C-1. Even though it was looted, it has beautiful examples of detailed Early Classic wall paintings. It also includes a Long Count date of 8.19.1.9.13, which is equal to a date in September 417. The tomb walls were covered with plaster, painted with a red hematite color, and decorated with ancient writings. The writings in the tomb said that the person buried there was from the royal family of Tikal. Since the person's name is not known, they are called "Ruler X" by archaeologists.

Tomb 12 is located under Structure A-3. Its walls are painted with Maya script that mentions a person named Six Sky. It also mentions his death or burial in 450 AD and the Río Azul Emblem glyph (a special symbol for the city). The body of the dead person was placed in the center of the tomb. Symbols for each of the main directions were painted on the matching walls. This made it seem like the person was at the center of the world.

Tomb 19 was found untouched. It contained fine fabrics and pottery influenced by Teotihuacan. This included tripod cylinder vessels, which were common on the Gulf Coast and in Teotihuacan itself. Some of the pottery vessels had traces of cacao (the plant chocolate comes from). One vessel had ancient writing describing what it was for and naming its owner. It is believed that the person buried in this tomb was originally from Teotihuacan.

Tomb 23 is also thought to have been the tomb of someone from Teotihuacan. Like Tomb 19, it also contained Teotihuacan-style tripod cylinder vessels.

Things Found at Río Azul

Many ceramic pots used for cacao have been found at Río Azul. One of these pots has hieroglyphs (ancient writings) that specifically call it a "cacao pot." Traces of cacao have also been found in other vessels. Among the finds at Río Azul is a chocolate pot with a screw-top lid.

A jade mask that was looted has been found. It has ancient writings that name the same king mentioned on Stela 1. It also has a shorter version of the Río Azul emblem glyph.

See also

In Spanish: Río Azul (yacimiento) para niños