Cival

Cival is an archaeological site in the Petén Basin region of the southern Maya lowlands. It was once a big city of the Pre-Columbian Maya civilization and is now in the Department of Petén, Guatemala.

The city grew from about the 6th century B.C. to the 1st century C.E., during a time called the Preclassic Period. At its peak, Cival may have had around 10,000 people. It is about 25 miles (40 km) east of another famous site, Tikal, on a ridge above the Holmul river.

Cival has big stone temples shaped like steps and open spaces that match important astronomical events, like the equinox sunrise. The largest temple is 27 metres tall. Some buildings had detailed decorations made from stucco showing pictures of ancient deities.

The city was hidden in the jungle until it was found by chance around 1980. An explorer, Ian Graham, mapped the site in 1984 and named it Cival after a local word for "lagoon". The real ancient name of the city is still unknown.

Archaeological work at Cival started in 2001 and continues today, led by Dr. Francisco Estrada-Belli. This research has helped experts learn more about the early Maya people, finding the earliest known Maya calendar dates and evidence of royal family lines of monarchs.