Nakbe

Nakbe is an ancient Maya archaeological site in the Mirador Basin of Petén Department, Guatemala, notable as one of the earliest large centers of Maya monumental construction. It is important for understanding Preclassic Maya urban development.

The site contains large plazas, platform mounds and monumental pyramids, along with causeways and carved monuments that illustrate early Maya civic planning. Much of the visible architecture is made of stone masonry set within dense lowland rainforest and grouped around central ceremonial precincts.

Archaeological work has shown substantial Preclassic occupation and successive building phases; excavations in the 20th century revealed complex public architecture and carved stone monuments. The site was built and used by Maya communities over many centuries and then largely abandoned before the Classic period.

Nakbe sits in the Mirador Basin within northern Petén Province, Guatemala, in a remote forested landscape. The nearest modern settlements are small towns in Petén; the site is accessed from routes that cross tropical forest.