right|400px|thumb|The location of Holtun in the Petén lakes region Holtun, originally named La Máquina, is a Maya archaeological site located in the Petén Department of northern Guatemala on the road to Melchor de Mencos from Flores. The city had a long period of occupation that lasted from the Middle Preclassic through to the Late Classic periods. The site was officially recognized by the Guatemalan authorities in 1994 in response to reports from the local community of looting activity in the area. This looting had revealed large masks sculpted onto the side of one of the principal structures
right|400px|thumb|The location of Holtun in the Petén lakes region Holtun, originally named La Máquina, is a Maya archaeological site located in the Petén Department of northern Guatemala on the road to Melchor de Mencos from Flores. The city had a long period of occupation that lasted from the Middle Preclassic through to the Late Classic periods. The site was officially recognized by the Guatemalan authorities in 1994 in response to reports from the local community of looting activity in the area. This looting had revealed large masks sculpted onto the side of one of the principal structures at the site. Holtun is the southernmost site in the Maya lowlands that is known to have such masks. The site is characterized by the presence of two particular architectural groups, consisting in a triadic acropolis and an E Group, which are markers of the sociocultural complexity of the Preclassic period in the Lowland Maya area. In addition, the nature of the karstic bedrock allowed for the creation of a great quantity of chultuns, which can be found in almost all of the architectural groups
==Location and etymology== The site was originally named as La Maquina after the nearest village but was renamed as Holtun by Agustín Estrada Monroy, the then director general of the Patrimonio General Cultural y Natural (General Cultural and Natural Heritage). The new name is derived from the local Itza Maya language and means "stone head". The land surrounding the site has been completely deforested and is used for the cultivation of maize, beans and plantain, with ownership divided among the municipality and private landowners .
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