Sayil: An Ancient Palace Deep in the Jungle

Sayil (Zayi) 20.1781897° N, -89.6518401° W Yucatec Maya Likely first settled in the late classic period (600-900 CE), this site shows many of the elements of Puuc architecture and the cult of Kukulkan which were common in the Terminal Classic period (900-1000 CE). While most of Maya civilization was collapsing in the southern regions, Sayil briefly flourished in this time, before also collapsing itself. Remarkably, this site has barely changed at all since it was first described by John Lloyd Stephens in 1843.