city state · Mesoamerica and the Caribbean

Yaxha

400 CE – 800 CE (approx.) · capital Yaxha

A Classic Maya city on the shore of Lake Yaxha in north-eastern Petén, a long-time rival of nearby Naranjo.

Origins

Yaxha, one of the few Maya cities whose ancient name survives, grew on a ridge above Lake Yaxha from the Preclassic period. By the Early Classic it was a substantial city with its own emblem glyph and plazas laid out in Tikal-related styles.

Rule and society

The city had more than 500 structures, including acropolis complexes, twin-pyramid groups like those at Tikal, and causeways leading to the lakeshore. Its rulers fought frequently with Naranjo: in 710 Naranjo's king K'ahk' Tiliw Chan Chaak claimed a victory over Yaxha and the scattering of a former Yaxha king's bones, and Naranjo attacked again in 799.

Decline and legacy

Yaxha declined around 800 CE and was abandoned soon after, though smaller settlements persisted on lake islands into the Postclassic. It is now part of the Yaxha-Nakum-Naranjo National Park.

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Yaxha. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/yaxha
MLA
“Yaxha.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/yaxha. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Yaxha.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/yaxha.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Yaxha’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/yaxha (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻