El Mirador (which translates as "the lookout", "the viewpoint", or "the belvedere") is a large pre-Columbian Middle and Late Preclassic (1000 BC – 250 AD) Maya settlement, located in the north of the modern department of El Petén, Guatemala.

El Mirador is located deep within the rain forest of the Mirador Basin, which is in turn a parcel of the Maya Biosphere Reserve. The Mirador Basin contains the largest concentration of Preclassic sites, including Nakbe, La Muralla, and Tintal, among others.

El Mirador today is part of the Mirador-Río Azul National Park, which itself is part of the Maya Biosphere Reserve, an 8,100-square-mile tract of rain forest in northern Guatemala.

Nov 19, 2018 · Visiting the lost city of Guatemala's El Mirador takes time, planning and money, but the payoff for those who make the trek is sublime – a chance to see one of the most impressive gems of Maya culture.

El Mirador was among the oldest Mayan cities and probably the most influential Mayan city in the Preclassic era. It was already a major Mayan center in the 6th century B.C. and reached the peak of its height sometime during the 3rd century B.C.

Apr 21, 2021 · El Mirador is a Maya archaeological site in the very northern reaches of the Guatemalan jungle. It’s particularly famous for its 70m high pyramid, La Danta, which is the tallest pyramid known to have been built in the Maya world.

May 6, 2024 · Deep in Guatemala's Maya Biosphere Reserve sits El Mirador, a pyramid built in 6th century BCE that marks the first state-level societies in the Western Hemisphere. With the Carmelita Cooperative, you can embark on a five-day trek through the dense jungle to see a string of ancient pyramids, as well as myriad flora and fauna.

May 26, 2024 · The reasons for El Mirador‘s decline and fall remain one of the great mysteries of Maya archaeology. One prominent theory points to environmental degradation as a key factor. The construction of El Mirador‘s monumental architecture and the feeding of its enormous population would have required massive amounts of timber and agricultural land.

Jan 6, 2023 · Writer Bertie Ford hikes through the deep jungles of Petén to discover one of Central America’s lesser-known archeological sites – the lost Mayan city of El Mirador, Guatemala. Deep in the jungles of Petén in northern Guatemala , an anomaly rises high above the rainforest canopy.

Jul 31, 2019 · El Mirador has the largest pyramid ever built in all of pre-Columbian America, possibly in all the world. Set in a remote jungle, many people still make the arduous trek to visit the phenomenal wonders at this Mayan site.