Ceibal, is sometimes spelled Seibal. Seibal is a Spanish word for "place of the ceiba tree. Locals use the word Seibal. Seibal is located on the bluffs about 100 meters above the Pasión River, a major tributary of the Usumacinta River. We think that Ceibal was first inhabited in the Middle Preclassic Period around 800 B.C., then the city grew in size and population until about the time of Christ, then it began a long decline. It was then abandoned between roughly A.D. 500 and 690, and then it was reoccupied. In 735 AD, Ruler 3 from the Maya city known today as Dos Pilas, captured the ruler of Seibal, Yich'ak Balam, and his city, leading to about 60 years of foreign rule. Around 830 AD, a non-Classic Maya group settled in Ceibal, which witnessed its greatest growth over the next 100 years as its population reached about 10,000. The city was then permanently abandoned in 930 AD and not rediscovered until about 1890 AD. Today, it is most noted for its beautiful carved stelae sculpted from high-quality limestone. "The Maya ruins of Seibal rest on several steep hills on the left bank of the Pasion River, above the village of Sayache of the Peten Area of Guatemala. The archaeological site is located a short distance inland, just above the great bend of the Rio Pasion and the lowland tropical forest." "The Principal Ceremonial Center at Seibal is composed of three architectural groups, designated as "A", "C", and "D". These groups occupy different hilltops and are so separated from each other by small, but often steep valleys or ravines; a system of causeways, however, connects the three groups." Group "A" was the only group known by Maler in 1895. The Harvard Expedition team in 1964-1965 discovered groups "C" and "D" during the course of mapping and clearing the area. It is of interest that the earliest signs of civilization in the Petén were ceramics dated just after 100 AD found at Seibal along with jade objects showing an Olmec influence. Seibal was occupied throughout the entire classic period and was invaded around 830 AD by the Putún or Chontal Maya from the Gulf coast known by the Maya as the Itza, "people who speak our tongue poorly". Seibal's last carved stela is dated 889 AD. We reached Seibal by a river trip from Sayache or Sayaxché, but the ruins can be reached by taking National Road 5 from Flores, the capital of the Department of Peten, to Sayaxche and then on to Ceibal. If you go by river it is about a mile walk up hill on a very slippery trail during the rainy season. But, the road trip will take you right up to the ruins. We were rather shocked to see school buses of children at the ruins after we had walked up the rather difficult trail. If you want to feel the spirit of adventure and what it is like to be in a rain forest, we suggest the river trip and the trail up the banks of the Pasión River. If you want to spend more time exploring the ruins, we suggest the drive instead.

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