Petén

Petén is the northern lowland region of Guatemala, largely covered by tropical forest and now forming the country's largest department. In the Classic period it was the heartland of Maya civilisation, with cities such as Tikal, Naranjo, Waka' and Uaxactun. The lakes around Lake Petén Itzá later sheltered the Itza kingdom of Nojpetén, the last independent Maya state, until the Spanish conquest of 1697.