Kaminaljuyú

Kaminaljuyú, historic centre of the highland Maya, located near modern Guatemala City, Guat. The site was inhabited from the Formative Period (1500 bc–ad 100) until its decline after the Late Classic Period (c. ad 600–900). About 200 burial sites from the Late Formative Period (300 bc–ad 100) have been uncovered. From the Early Classic Period (c. ad 100–600), a number of more elaborate tombs containing Teotihuacán-style pottery have been unearthed. The design of the tombs and some of the pyramids also reflects the influence of Teotihuacán, the most important centre in central Mexico during the Classic Period. There are also courts for playing the ball game tlachtli. Because of the lack of stone suitable for construction, pyramids and other structures at Kaminaljuyú were built of adobe and later of other perishable materials. In the Late Classic the centre declined in importance.