Takalik Abaj
Tak’alik Ab’aj is a pre-Columbian archaeological site in Guatemala. It was formerly known as Abaj Takalik; its ancient name may have been Kooja. It is one of several Mesoamerican sites with both Olmec and Maya features. The site flourished in the Preclassic and Classic periods.
About Takalik Abaj in brief
Tak’alik Ab’aj is a pre-Columbian archaeological site in Guatemala. It was formerly known as Abaj Takalik; its ancient name may have been Kooja. It is one of several Mesoamerican sites with both Olmec and Maya features. The site flourished in the Preclassic and Classic periods, from the 9th century BC through to at least the 10th century AD, and was an important centre of commerce, trading with Kaminaljuyu and Chocolá. Finds from the site indicate contact with the distant metropolis of Teotihuacan in the Valley of Mexico and imply that Takalk Abaj was conquered by it or its allies. The city was linked to long-distance Maya trade routes that shifted over time but allowed the city to participate in a trade network that included the Guatemalan highlands and the Pacific coastal plain from Mexico to El Salvador. It featured a sophisticated water drainage system and a wealth of sculptured monuments. Excavation is continuing at the site; the monumental architecture and persistent tradition of sculpture in a variety of styles suggest the site was of some importance. The site is located in the north of the municipality of El Asintal, in the extreme north of Retalhuleu department, some 120 miles from Guatemala City. It lies among five coffee plantations in the lower foothills of the Sierra Madre mountains; the Santa Margarita, San Isidro Piedra Parada, Buenos Aires, San Elías and Dolores plantations.
It sits at an altitude of approximately 600 metres above sea level in an ecoregion classed as subtropical moist forest. The temperature normally varies between 21 and 21 °C, and the potential evapotranspiration ratio averages 0.136 and 4,136 millimetres. The area receives an average annual rainfall of 3,284 millimetre, with an average of 25,000 millimetres per year. Local vegetation includes the Montaña de Chichique, Tepecique, Caulote or West Indian Elmote, Mexican Cedar, Breadnut and Paparindatur. A road, denominated 6W, passes the site running 30 kilometres from the town of Monte Alto, 130km from the contemporary archaeological site of Kamalango, and 130 kilometres from Monte Alto Alto, the contemporary site of A.C. A.W. Caulte, the West Indian Cedar, Mexican Cedar and Tamarindur, the Mexican Cedar Elmote, and the WestIndian Elmote or Indian Cedar. It has one of the greatest concentrations of Olmac-style sculpture outside of the Gulf of Mexico. It includes a Maya royal tomb and examples of Maya hieroglyphic inscriptions that are among the earliest from the Maya region. The main architecture clustered into four main groups spread across nine terraces. While some of these were natural features, others were artificial constructions requiring an enormous investment in labour and materials.
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This page is based on the article Takalik Abaj published in Wikipedia (as of Oct. 31, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
