Takalik Abaj, city link in Maya history

Estela y altar maya en Takalik Abaj, Retalhuleu. Takalik, as it usually refers is one of the oldest known Maya cities.

Its name means "standing stone" (singular, not plural) and is an important site for signs of mixing two cultures, the Maya and the Olmec.

Olmec culture spread throughout Mesoamerica and is considered a precursor of the following cultures of the region, in a way ancestors of the Maya or part of its line of evolution.

Historical evidence reveals that existed in several regions as the Mayan culture also developed, so that we can speak of a development and interaction of both cultures in history.

In the archaeological site with an ancient Mayan burial, a royal tomb 100 years after Christ which is considered the oldest known.

Rostros de piedra de Takalik.

Place of Maya sculptures

In Takalik Below are several stone sculptures, including zoomorphic (animal-based characters), showing pictures of turtles and crocodiles.

Huge stone faces

Unlike other Maya cities with abundant variety of stone steles are vertical blocks from the classic to the most elaborate as Quirigua, Tikal (Ah Cacau) or Copán, Takalik has mostly large pictures of faces, a very practical feature of the Olmecs.

Read more about Takalik Abaj, its mini-zoo and how to get from Guatemala (in this same website), or read about Takalik Abaj Mayas.com Cities
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