| El Mirador |
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The site was first discovered in ). El Mirador flourished from about the 10th Century BC , reaching its height from the 3rd Century BC to the 2nd Century AD, with a peak population of perhaps 80,000 people. They then experienced a hiatus of construction and perhaps abandonment for generations, followed by re-occupation and further construction in the late classic era, and a final abandonment about the end of the 9th Century . The site covers some 10 square miles. There are a number of "triadic" structures, consisting of a large low artificial platform topped with a set of 3 step-pyramids. The most notable such structures are two huge complexes; one is nicknamed "El Tigre", with its tallest pyramid some 180 feet high; the other is called "La Danta", some 230 feet high, making it the tallest Maya structure, including the large platform the pyramid is set upon, an artificially built base covering some 18,000 meters of ground. Most of the structures were originally faced with cut stone which was then decorated with large Stucco faces depicting the deities of Maya Mythology . Although containing striking examples of Pre-Classic Mayan civilization, the remote location of El Mirador has prevented it from becoming a popular tourist site. To get there, most tourists pay about $200 to hire guides from a local village called Carmelita, who take them on a five day trip out and back. It is also possible to reach the site by helicopter, although this can cost thousands of dollars. In the late Pre-Classic at least part of the site was enclosed by a wall which reused some stone from earlier structures. The site is the center of a series of raised stone pedestrian causeways, one linking it to the site of Nakbé some 15 km away. External links |