 | |
  Shown within Guatemala | |
| Location | El Chal |
|---|---|
| Region | Petén Department,  Guatemala |
| Coordinates | 16°38′N 89°39′W / 16.633°N 89.650°W |
| History | |
| Founded | Middle Preclassic Period |
| Abandoned | Terminal Classic Period |
| Periods | Classic Period |
| Cultures | Maya civilization |
| Site notes | |
| Archaeologists | IDAEH |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural styles | Classic Maya |
| Architectural details | Number of monuments: 19+ |
| Responsible body: IDAEH | |
El Chal is a pre-Columbian Maya archaeological site located in the upper San Juan River valley of the southeastern Petén Basin region, Guatemala. The site is situated in the municipality of El Chal, lying some 600 metres (2,000 ft) to the south of the municipal seat also called El Chal.
El Chal was occupied from approximately 300 BC through to 1300 AD (from the Late Preclassic through to the Early Postclassic Periods of Mesoamerican chronology),[1] although some Middle Preclassic activity has been identified in the acropolis.[2] The Late Preclassic occupation of the city was concentrated around an E-Group ceremonial complex some 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) north of the later site core.[3] The site's major period of occupation was during the Late Classic Period, when it was an important centre in the southeastern Petén region.[4] Among the structures at the site is a large quadrangular residential complex, a structural type that is uncommonly found at Southern Maya lowland sites although there is a smaller one with similar characteristics at Machaquilá.
As of 2010[update] very little restorative work has been undertaken at the site. The archaeological site is protected by the Guatemalan Instituto de Antropología e Historia.[5]