 Plaza 1 with Structure 6 at the left and Structure 1 at the right. The small platforms in the plaza are Structures 11 and 12. | |
  Location within Mesoamerica | |
| Alternative name | Saqulew |
|---|---|
| Location | Huehuetenango |
| Region | Huehuetenango Department, Guatemala |
| Coordinates | 15°20′1.66″N 91°29′33.88″W / 15.3337944°N 91.4927444°W |
| History | |
| Founded | Early Classic c.AD 250–600 |
| Abandoned | 1525 |
| Periods | Early Classic to Late Postclassic |
| Cultures | Maya civilization |
| Events | Conquered by: Kʼicheʼ Kingdom of Qʼumarkaj (Postclassic) Gonzalo de Alvarado y Contreras of Spain (1525) |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1940s |
| Archaeologists | John M. Dimick |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural styles | Mesoamerican pyramids with talud-tablero style architecture and double stairways |
| Restored by United Fruit Company (Late 1940s) Responsible body: Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes | |
Zaculeu or Saqulew is a pre-Columbian Maya archaeological site in the highlands of western Guatemala, about 3.7 kilometres (2.3 mi) outside the modern city of Huehuetenango.[1] Occupation at the site dates to the Early Classic period (AD 250–600) of Mesoamerican history. Zaculeu was the capital of the Postclassic Mam kingdom,[2] and was conquered by the Kʼicheʼ Kingdom of Qʼumarkaj. It displays a mixture of Mam and Kʼicheʼ style architecture.[3]
In AD 1525 the city was attacked by Spanish conquistadors under Gonzalo de Alvarado y Contreras during a siege that lasted several months. Kayb'il B'alam, the city's last ruler, finally surrendered to the Spanish due to starvation.[4][5]
The site contains a number of temple-pyramids with talud-tablero style architecture and double stairways.[6] The pyramids and governmental palaces are grouped around a series of large public plazas. The site also holds a court for playing the Mesoamerican ballgame.[6] The site was originally fortified with walls.
The site was restored by the United Fruit Company in the late 1940s. It is open to tourists and includes a small museum.[7]