Nixtun-Chüichü is an Itza Maya archaeological site in Petén Department, Guatemala. It has an urban grid with fairly well ordered streets and avenues dated to around 2500 years ago. This is one of the earliest urban grids in the Americas and likely emerged as the ancient Maya developed more complex forms of political organization. It was likely a means to regulate and perhaps dominate the inhabitants. Nevertheless, the grid system at Nixtun-Chüichü did not catch on and is not seen in later Maya cities.
Nixtun-Chüichü stands on the western edge of Lake Petén Itzá. It is bordered by the lake to the south and east; by karst<nowiki/>ic hills to the north; and uneven terrain to the west. The area of the site is relatively flat, but it was built upon a low ridge that extends east to west. Maya sites are generally dispersed, but Nixtun-Chüichü was laid out with an urban grid. It also includes an axis urbis composed of a row of over 15 buildings extending east to west. The axis and grid were established in the Middle Preclassic period (800-400 BC). The site also has major construction in the Late Preclassic period (400 BC-AD 200) after which the site appears to have suffered a declineâÂÂa trend seen in many sites in central Petén. The site was also occupied in the Late Classic through the Colonial period (AD 600-1734).
During the 1995, 2006-2008, and 2013-2014 seasons at Nixtun-Chüich, Proyecto Itza encountered Preclassic period (ca.1000 BC-AD 200) constructions in nearly every test unit excavate<nowiki/>d. It was clear that the site's most substantial constructions occurred before AD 200. In 2013-2014, Proyecto Itza remapped the site and found that it contained an urban grid. In 2015, Proyecto Itza began to intensively investigate the Preclassic period occupations along with its work on the Postclassic period.
Postclassic and Colonial period settlements have been found at Nixtun-Chüichü in Sector QQ (Middle to Late Postclassic period), Sector WW (Middle to Late Postclassic period), Sector XX (Contact or Colonial period), and Sector ZZ (Colonial period). See map below.
In 2015, Proyecto Itza initiated a program of underwater archaeology on Lake Petén Itzá and began sampling in 2018. The goal of this work is to discern deposits in the lake left as offerings or accidentally dropped into the lake as a result of trade. Proyecto Itza has identified several areas that "look like" ports at Nixtun-Chüichü and we will test this hypothesis though underwater sampling.
In 2017, Proyecto Itza began filming a documentary about the development of city planning and the state at Nixtun-Chüichü.