Quiriguá
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How it came to be
Quiriguá, on the lower Motagua River in south-eastern Guatemala, was settled by the 2nd century AD. The river carried jade and cacao, and the city sat at a key point on the trade routes. For a long time it was a vassal of Copán to the south.
In 738 King K'ak' Tiliw Chan Yopaat defeated Copán and captured its king, Uaxaclajuun Ub'aah K'awiil, known as 18-Rabbit, who was sacrificed in Quiriguá's Great Plaza. Quiriguá became independent and in the 8th century was rebuilt as a royal residence and seat of government.
Its sculptors carved the local hard red sandstone without metal tools into the tallest stelae in the Maya world, recording calendar dates, eclipses, myths and political events. Building had stopped by about 850, and the city was later abandoned. It was inscribed in 1981.
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