Uaxactún (meaning eight stones) is a pre-Columbian archeological site of the Mayan culture, located approximately 23 km north of Tikal, in the municipality of Flores, in the Department of Petén, Guatemala. Its ancient name was Siaan Ka'an (meaning “born of the sky”). The modern name of Uaxactún was given by archaeologist Sylvanus Morley in May 1916. This city was inhabited from the Preclassic period, around 900 B.C., throughout the Classic period, until it was abandoned during the Classic Maya Collapse around 900 AD. Uaxactún is the first archaeological site where the existence of the Mayan corbel arch was observed. It is also considered to be the first archaeological site where the Mayans observed the spring equinox, making it the oldest astronomical observatory in Mesoamerica. Today, a three-day festival is held at this site to observe the astronomical event.

Tikal was the capital of a belligerent state that became one of the most powerful kingdoms of the ancient Mayans. Although the site's monumental architecture dates back to the 4th century B.C., Tikal reached its peak during the Classic Period, between 200 and 900 A.D. During this time, the city dominated much of the Mayan region politically, economically, and militarily. It maintained ties with other regions throughout Mesoamerica, even with Teotihuacán, in the distant Valley of Mexico.

The Tikal archaeological site has around 5,000 pre-Hispanic buildings in an area of approximately 16 km², of which only 5% have been restored and made accessible for exploration. Tikal's residential area covers approximately 60 km², much of which has yet to be cleared, mapped, or excavated. The city represents an ancient Mayan capital that dominated a vast territory during the Classic period. The name Tikal means Place of Voices, but its original name may have been Yax Mutul or Mutul.