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Location: Guatemala         Length: 11 min

The peaceful Guatemalan rain forest hides an ancient story of empire building and disaster in the ruined Maya city of Waka', now called El Peru. K'inich Balam (Sun-faced Jaguar), who ruled Waka', severed ties with the city of Tikal and married Lady T'abi, a powerful royal princess from Calakmul. Just decades later, Tikal conquered both Calakmul and Waka'. In about A.D. 800, Waka' was destroyed and then abandoned to the forest. Today, archaeologists seek to recover Waka's story and protect it and its precious forest from the plunderers of modern times.

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Produced by Don Bright and Phillip Hofstetter

Maya Adventure (Science Museum of Minnesota)

Mystery of the Maya (Canadian Museum of Civilization) (Canadian Museum of Civilization)

A Puzzle in the Peten (Archaeology Magazine's Interactive Dig) (Archaeology Magazine's Interactive Dig)

Tomb Finds at El Peru (MesoWeb)