El Chal, Maya archaeological site in Dolores, Guatemala.
El Chal is a Maya archaeological site in Dolores that spreads across limestone hills and includes numerous plazas with ceremonial monuments and residential complexes. The layout divides into several distinct sectors that together form the overall settlement.
The site was founded around 300 BC and remained occupied for over a thousand years until it was abandoned around 1300 AD. It reached its peak importance during the Late Classic period when it served as a major regional center.
The name comes from a local Maya word meaning a green place, and different sections of the site served distinct purposes including residential areas and craft production zones. The layout shows how people organized daily life across separate sectors.
The grounds are hilly and require sturdy footwear to explore the various sectors and structures. Visitors should allow enough time to walk through the site gradually, as the settlement spreads across a large area.
In the northwestern section of the site sits a large water reservoir that collected rainwater to supply residents with drinking water. This storage system shows how carefully people planned the settlement to survive dry seasons.
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