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Takalik Abaj
A low stairway rising to the left from a flat grassy area. The top of the stairway is blocked by thick tropical vegetation.
Takalik Abaj was continuously occupied for almost two thousand years. This photo shows the access stairway to Terrace 3, dating to the Late Preclassic.
Takalik Abaj is located in Mesoamerica
Takalik Abaj
Location in Mesoamerica
Location El Asintal, Retalhuleu Department, Guatemala
Region Retalhuleu Department
Coordinates 14°38′10.50″N 91°44′0.14″W / 14.6362500°N 91.7333722°W / 14.6362500; -91.7333722
History
Founded Middle Preclassic
Cultures Olmec, Maya
Events Conquered by:
Teotihuacan, K'iche'
Site notes
Archaeologists Miguel Orrego Corzo; Marion Popenoe de Hatch; Christa Schieber de Lavarreda; Claudia Wolley Schwarz
Architecture
Architectural styles Olmec, Early Maya
Responsible body: Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes / Proyecto Nacional Tak'alik Ab'aj
TakalikAbajBallcourt
Excavations of the Middle Preclassic ballcourt at Takalik Abaj

Tak'alik A'baj is an ancient city ruin in Guatemala. It used to be known as Abaj Takalik. This site is special because it shows signs of two important ancient cultures: the Olmec and the Maya.

People lived in Takalik Abaj for a very long time. It was used from about 900 BC until at least 1000 AD. This makes it important for understanding the Preclassic and Classic periods. The city was a major center for trade. It traded with other cities like Kaminaljuyu and Chocolá.

Takalik Abaj is one of the biggest sites on the Pacific coast with many carved stone monuments. It has a large collection of Olmec-style sculptures. These include a possible giant head and other rock carvings. This collection is one of the largest found outside the Gulf of Mexico area.

Takalik Abaj also shows some of the earliest signs of Maya culture. These signs appeared around 400 BC. Archaeologists have found a Maya royal tomb here. They also found examples of Maya writing that are among the oldest in the Maya region. Studies are still happening at the site. The large buildings and many sculptures show how important Takalik Abaj was.

A City of Trade and Influence

Connections to Other Ancient Cities

Discoveries at Takalik Abaj show that the city had contact with Teotihuacan. Teotihuacan was a powerful city far away in the Valley of Mexico. This contact suggests that Takalik Abaj might have been taken over by Teotihuacan or its allies.

Takalik Abaj was also part of important Maya trade routes. These routes allowed the city to trade goods with places far away. This trade network included the Guatemalan highlands and the Pacific coast. It stretched from Mexico all the way to El Salvador.

How the City Was Built

Takalik Abaj was a large city. Its main buildings were grouped into four areas. These areas were spread out across nine different terraces. Some of these terraces were natural hills. Others were built by people, which took a lot of hard work and materials.

The city also had a clever system to manage water. This system helped drain water away from the buildings. Many stone sculptures were also found throughout the city.

Images for kids

  • Takalik Abaj obsidian 1

    Obsidian artefacts recovered from Takalik Abaj, including prismatic blades and obsidian cores.

  • Takalik Abaj polychrome vessel

    Early Classic cylindrical polychrome vessel from Takalik Abaj

  • Cargador del Ancestro 1

    The pieces of the Cargador del Ancestro as they would originally have been arranged

  • Takalik Abaj Altar 48

    Altar 48, an Early Maya sculpture

  • Takalik Abaj Stela 14

    Stela 14 with a replica of Altar 48

  • Takalik Abaj Stela 5

    Stela 5. For another view, see here for a photo of this stela.

  • A stone-lined channel set into a grassy embankment. The sides of the channel are formed by upright stones and parts of the channel are covered with capstones.

    Stone channel to carry runoff from the major architecture. This example is by Structure 7 and dates to the Late Classic.

  • A flat grassy area dotted with widely spaced trees. A wide stairway can just be glimpsed between the vegetation.

    A plaza upon one of the terraces of Takalik Abaj

  • A large grassy mound seen through widely spaced trees scattered across a flat grassy foreground. A stone stairway climbs the mound and several stone monuments stand in front of this stairway. More trees form the backdrop to the mound.

    Structure 11 and its associated monuments

  • A large grassy mound with a wide stone stairway climbing from the bottom centre toward the summit at top right. The mound has scattered trees around the stairway with increasingly thick vegetation toward the far side of the structure.

    Structure 5

  • A small stone sculpture with a round featureless head and squat round body. The figure is seen from the front left and the left arm is visible, raised against the side of the figure's body. The arm descends from the shoulder and bends forwards at the elbow, running horizontally to the wrist, which bends sharply downwards, with the fingers marked by carved grooves. The sculpture has no legs and rests on a grassy area in front of some stone steps.

    A potbelly sculpture at Takalik Abaj, probably dating to the Late Preclassic

  • A stone sculpture sitting in an excavated trench. The monument is damaged with deep fracturing towards the top. It lists to the left and is braced with wooden poles. A niche is carved into the front of the monument and contains a badly eroded seated figure holding a featureless bundle in its arms.

    Monument 23, an Olmec (or Olmec-influenced) sculpture at Takalik Abaj, showing a figure emerging from a cave, bearing an infant in its arms. Compare with Altar 5 at La Venta

  • A standing stone with a large carved niche apparently representing the mouth of a monstrous creature, with its eyes carved onto the upper portion of the monument. The niche is occupied by a badly eroded figure depicted from the waist up. The figure has its right arm raised and with traces of a helmet on the figure's head.

    Monument 67, an Olmec style sculpture dating to the Middle Preclassic

  • A low standing stone protruding from short grass, with the stonework of a structure visible behind it. The upper portion of the stone has a raised area perhaps representing a cap or helmet. Below this are carved two eyes in the form of circles divided by a horizontal line, giving the appearance of being closed. The cap and the area between the eyes are covered with pale lichen

    Monument 65, an Olmec-style sculpture of a human head dating to the Middle Preclassic period

  • A roughly triangular boulder with the point inclined to the right. It has been carved in low relief to outline the jaws, teeth and eyes of a crocodile, with the point of the boulder representing the snout. A stonework structure rises behind the sculpture, which faces towards a grassy area to the right

    Monument 66, a local style sculpture in the form of the head of a crocodilian

  • A tall, narrow standing stone set in a grassy area with an overgrown mound in the background. A flat circular stone lays at the base of the standing stone, it has been carved into a rough cogwheel shape.

    Stela 18 and its associated altar

  • A squat standing stone with a flat front face set against a low stone-faced mound structure at right. The face of standing stone is inscribed but the details are not visible. In front of the stone, at left, lies a flat circular stone, set upon a flat grassy area. Dense vegetation is visible in the background.

    Stela 5 and Altar 8

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Takalik Abaj para niños

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