Yaxchilán, Sanctuary of the "Green Stones"

 Known for its large number of architectural structures and inscriptions, Yaxchilán is located on the bank of the Usumacinta River, in the municipality of Ocosingo, Chiapas. This Maya city, located 136 kilometers from Palenque, dominated other smaller ones such as Bonampak, and was allied for a long time with Piedras Negras and Tikal. Although the site is very large, visitors can only access a few buildings such as the Great Acropolis, the Small Acropolis, the South Acropolis and the Great Plaza, which is reached through El Laberinto (The Labyrinth).

This ancestral city lost in the jungle features, in several of its buildings, lintels that narrate the dynastic history of the city. Buildings 12 and 22 and the great Stela 1 stand out, the latter rising over the plaza and depicting Bird Jaguar IV.

An immense staircase connects the plaza with the Great Acropolis, the latter adorned by Building 33, the most magnificent in the city. On the staircase there are hieroglyphs with scenes of Bird Jaguar IV playing the ball game. On the lintels sits the decapitated sculpture of Bird Jaguar IV. A Lacandon legend warns that, when Bird Jaguar's head returns to its place, the world will be devastated by celestial jaguars.

This sacred city, which had its heyday during the Classic Period, at the end of 600 B.C., fought an important battle against Palenque around the year 654 A.D.