Seat of the Kaan ("Snake") dynasty in the northern Petén Basin of southern Campeche, Calakmul was Tikal's great rival, projecting influence over allied and vassal cities across much of the central Maya lowlands during the Classic period. This record adds Calakmul at city-state granularity alongside the umbrella Classic Maya (Lowland City-States) record.
Calakmul declined with the broader 8th-9th century collapse of the southern lowland cities; the site was abandoned and lay forgotten in jungle until its rediscovery by air in 1931.
The atlas holds 3 border frames for Calakmul — the shape you scrub through changes in 250 · 550 · 751.
Dynasty-by-dynasty account of the Kaan/Snake Kingdom centered on Calakmul and its rivalry with Tikal.
Broad survey covering Calakmul's rise as a Classic-period superpower and its regional network of allied cities.